Drive Reduction Theory Of Motivation

Motivation can be described as the needs and wants that guide our behaviour towards a goal or purpose. The drive reduction theory of motivation was first proposed by behaviourist Clark Leonard Hull in 1943; which stated that the purpose of biological devices was to establish homeostasis. Hull believed that psychological needs would lead to a psychological drive which would then direct the behaviour to meet those needs, which then would ultimately lead to homeostasis. Homeostasis is defined as the ‘‘maintenance of relatively stable internal physiological conditions (as body temperature or the pH of blood) in higher animals under fluctuating environmental conditions.’’[pnhq]. In psychology however homeostasis is viewed as a process of keeping …show more content…
The drive-reduction theory tries to explain an organism’s reaction in an event where its physical needs are challenged and unstable. [pnhq] According to Clark Hull ‘drive’ refers to “a state of tension or arousal caused by biological or physiological needs.” These needs could be hunger, thirst or warmth which are all considered primary drives, as well as social approval and money which are considered secondary drives. Both primary and secondary drives bring about an undesirable condition which necessitates reduction. For example when an organism is hungry it experiences discomfort, as well as a growing need to fulfil its hunger. The drive-reduction theory then states that the organism will then feel a drive to reduce the discomfort that it is currently experiencing.
Compared to the other theories of motivation the incentive theory is different, in terms of the direction of motivation. If we look at the drive-reduction, which was discussed …show more content…
(Tooby and Cosmides 1992; Cziko 2000). Evolutionary programming leads human beings to do certain task, therefore all activities can be contributed towards our biological makeup. It also states that individuals are born with certain genes, as well as a programmed disposition, which has been identified to motivate people. Human instinct is central to the evolutionary theory as our situational actions are based off this human instinct. Ethnologists have defined human instinct as: “the natural behavioural pattern of animals that usually occurs in response to certain kind of stimuli.” Two examples of human instinct would be the maternal and the survival instinct. The maternal instinct is the desire and readiness shown by a woman to become a mother; this includes the enthusiastic approach a woman exhibits when taking care of children, as well as the guilt and inadequacy that a woman feels when she is unable to procreate. On the other hand the survival theory looks at Charles Darwin’s theory of natural