Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

drive
Motivational tension, or arousal, 
that energizes behavior to fulfi ll a 
need.
homeostasis
The body’s tendency to 
maintain a steady internal state.
Study Alert
To remember the concept of 
homeostasis, keep in mind 
the analogy of a thermo-
stat that regulates the 
temperature in a house.
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Module 29 
Explaining Motivation 
311
Arousal Approaches: 
Beyond Drive Reduction
Arousal approaches seek to explain behavior in which the goal is to maintain or 
increase excitement. According to  arousal approaches to motivation,  each person 
tries to maintain a certain level of stimulation and activity. As with the drive-
reduction model, this model suggests that if our stimulation and activity levels 
become too high, we try to reduce them. But, in contrast to the drive-reduction 
model, the arousal model also suggests that if levels of stimulation and activity are 
too low, we will try to increase them by seeking stimulation.
People vary widely in the optimal level of arousal they seek out, with some people 
looking for especially high levels of arousal. For example, people who participate in 
daredevil sports, high-stakes gamblers, and criminals who pull off high-risk robberies 
may be exhibiting a particularly high need for arousal (see Figure 2 on page 312; 
Zuckerman & Kuhlman, 2000; Zuckerman, 2002; Cavenett & Nixon, 2006). 
Incentive Approaches: 
Motivation’s Pull
When a luscious dessert appears on the table after a fi lling meal, its appeal has little 
or nothing to do with internal drives or the maintenance of arousal. Rather, if we 
choose to eat the dessert, such behavior is motivated by the external stimulus of the