What is drive-reduction theory?
Drive-reduction theory holds that bodily deficits power behavior. Robert Woodworth introduced the term "drive" in 1918, and Clark Hull built it into a full learning theory in Principles of Behavior (1943). When you lack food or water, a need arises, which produces an unpleasant state of tension called a drive. Eating or drinking reduces the drive and restores homeostasis, and whatever behavior reduced it gets reinforced, making it more likely next time.
Primary vs. secondary drives
| Type | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Primary drives | Innate, tied directly to survival | Hunger, thirst, pain avoidance, sleep |
| Secondary drives | Learned through association with primary drives | Wanting money, praise or status |
What does Hull's formula say?
Hull expressed the likelihood of a behavior as habit strength × drive. Even a well-learned habit won't show up if drive is zero, and a strong drive won't produce a behavior that was never learned. Hull later added incentive, the size and appeal of the reward.
Limitations and alternatives
Eating dessert when you're full, or riding roller coasters and chasing extreme sports to raise tension, are hard to explain as drive reduction. Daniel Berlyne's (1960) work on curiosity and exploration helped pave the way for arousal theory, which says we seek an optimal level of stimulation. Today drive reduction is taught as a classic account of biological motivation and compared with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, self-determination theory and other theories of motivation. Its reinforcement logic also links to reinforcement theory.
FAQ
- What's the difference between a need and a drive?
- A need is the physical deficit itself; a drive is the psychological tension it creates, the push that gets you moving.
- Why does it come up so often on AP Psych and intro exams?
- It's the starting point for motivation theories, so it's commonly contrasted with arousal, incentive and humanistic theories.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-25
References
- Hull, C. L. (1943). Principles of Behavior: An Introduction to Behavior Theory. New York: Appleton-Century.
- Woodworth, R. S. (1918). Dynamic Psychology. New York: Columbia University Press.
- Berlyne, D. E. (1960). Conflict, Arousal, and Curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill.