‘It is based on the idea of homeostasis, or the need to maintain a steady state.
The theory was created by behavioristClark Hulland further developed by his collaborator Kenneth Spence.
According to the theory, the reduction of drives is the primary force behindmotivation.
Verywell / Hilary Allison
B. Watson, andEdward L. Thorndike.
Hull believed that behavior was one of the ways that an organism maintains this balance.
Based on this idea, Hull suggested that all motivation arises as a result of these biological needs.
Thirst, hunger, and the need for warmth are all examples of drives.
A drive creates an unpleasant state, a tension that needs to be reduced.
to reduce this state of tension, humans and animals seek out ways to fulfill these biological needs.
We get a drink when we are thirsty.
We eat when we are hungry.
We turn up the thermostat when we are cold.
He suggested that humans and animals will then repeat any behavior that reduces these drives.
According to Hull, the reduction of the drive acts as areinforcementfor that behavior.
to survive in its environment, an organism must behave in ways that meet these survival needs.
His work did, however, have an influence on psychology and future theories of motivation.
Starting as early as the 1950s, critics began pointing out the flaws in the drive reduction approach.
However, his emphasis on rigorous experimental techniques andscientific methodsdid have an important influence on the field of psychology.
Take money, for example.
Despite this, money still acts as a powerful source of reinforcement.
For example, people often eat when theyre not hungry or drink when theyre not thirsty.
In some cases, people actually participate in activities thatincreasetension such as sky-diving or bungee jumping.
Drive reduction theory cannot account for such behaviors.
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Littman RA, Wade EA.A negative test of the drive-reduction hypothesis.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
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American Psychological Association.Arousal theory.
