Week 1 Avoidance and Approach

Describe what is meant by “approach” and “avoid” motivation

On the other hand, avoidance means moving away from a stimuli that is percieved as negative or aversive. This behavior can be aimed at avoiding pain, discomfort, or undeserable outcomes. These situations can vary from person to person based on their own experiences. Examples can include physcial safety, emotional discomfort, academic challenges, social anxiety, and more.

This motivation involves moving towards a stimuli that is seen as positive or rewarding. For instance, individuals may seek out food when hungry or enagaging in hobbies that bring enjoyment to them. We can see this approach incorporated in the major psycological theories such as Frued, Jung, and Maslow.

There are specific regions in our brain that mediate pleasure and pain responses called the sepal and hypolthalamus. Studies have found distint cicuits associated with these motivations in our brain. For instance, Davidsons' research has suggested a link between resting brain activity patterns and approach- and avoidance-related affective experiences.

Neurophysiological Basis

Avoidance Motivaton

Approach Motivation

Seen as negative

Underlying insights

Seen as positive

Approach and avoidance motivations represent core components of human behavior.