Of the many conceptual distinctions present in psychology today, the approach-avoidance
distinction stands out as one of, if not the, most fundamental and basic. The distinction …

Motivated behavior may be energized or directed by a positive or negative event or
possibility. For example, a person may desire to attain success or seek to deepen a …

Abstract Approach motivation is the energization of behavior by, or the direction of behavior
toward, positive stimuli (objects, events, possibilities), whereas avoidance motivation is the …

In this concluding piece, we identify and discuss various aspects of convergence and, to a
lesser degree, divergence in the ideas expressed in the contributions to this special section …

Abstract Approach motivation (striving for desired end-states, eagerly focusing on where one
wants to be) is often held up as the best type of motivation: It feels good and is associated …

Two core motivational systems have been conceptualized as underlying emotion and
behavior. The approach system drives the organism toward stimuli or events in the …

Theories from diverse areas of psychology assume that affective stimuli facilitate approach
and avoidance behavior because they elicit motivational orientations that prepare the …

236 Handbook of Approach and Avoidance Motivation hypo thesis in the course of offering a
refined and expanded account of the link between motivation and attention. On the …

The purpose of this chapter is to resurrect an old area of research in psychology, that of the
study of “approach-avoidance behavior” This research topic, more or less forgotten for some …

We discuss some research that has examined approach motivational urges and how this
research clarifies the definition of approach motivation. Our research and that of others have …