Which theory explains motivation as driven by the need to maintain physiological balance?

Enhance your skills for the Combined MAPH, Learning, Intelligence, and Testing Test with interactive questions, flashcards, and thorough explanations. Prepare effectively for your examination to ensure success.

Multiple Choice

Which theory explains motivation as driven by the need to maintain physiological balance?

Explanation:
Drive Reduction Theory holds that motivation comes from the body's need to restore internal balance, or homeostasis. When a physiological deficit occurs—like hunger from low energy or thirst from dehydration—a drive or internal arousal pushes you to take actions aimed at reducing that deficit. Once balance is restored, the drive diminishes and motivation fades. This explains why we’re compelled to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, or seek warmth when cold. Other ideas treat motivation as seeking optimal arousal, or rely on inherited, fixed patterns, but they don’t center on correcting a physiological imbalance in the way this theory does.

Drive Reduction Theory holds that motivation comes from the body's need to restore internal balance, or homeostasis. When a physiological deficit occurs—like hunger from low energy or thirst from dehydration—a drive or internal arousal pushes you to take actions aimed at reducing that deficit. Once balance is restored, the drive diminishes and motivation fades. This explains why we’re compelled to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, or seek warmth when cold. Other ideas treat motivation as seeking optimal arousal, or rely on inherited, fixed patterns, but they don’t center on correcting a physiological imbalance in the way this theory does.

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