Handbook of Approach and Avoidance Motivation

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 between approach and avoidance motivation has a venerable history, not only within but beyond scientific psychology, and the deep utility of this distinction is clearly evident across theoretical traditions, disciplines, and content areas. This volume is designed to illustrate and highlight the central importance of this distinction, to serve as a one-stop resource for scholars working in this area, and to facilitate integration among researchers and theorists with an explicit or implicit interest in approach and avoidance motivation. The main body of this volume is organized according to seven broad sections that represent core areas of interest in the study of approach and avoidance motivation, including neurophysiology and neurobiology, and evaluative processes. Each section contains a minimum of four chapters that cover a specific aspect of approach and avoidance motivation. The broad applicability of the approach-avoidance distinction makes this Handbook an essential resource for researchers, theorists, and students of social psychology and related disciplines.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Introduction; Introduction and Overview; Chapter 01 Approach and Avoidance Motivation, Andrew J. Elliot; Part 03 Neurophysiology and Neurobiology; Brain Systems and Mechanisms; Chapter 02 Emotional Processing and Motivation: In Search of Brain Mechanisms, Christopher K. Cain, Joseph E. LeDoux; Cortical Asymmetry; Chapter 03 Effects of Early Experience on the Development of Cerebral Asymmetry and Approach–Withdrawal, Nathan A. Fox, Bethany C. Reeb; Cortex-Reflex Connections; Chapter 04 Appetitive and Defensive Motivation Is the Substrate of Emotion, Peter J. Lang, Margaret M. Bradley; Subcortical Processes; Chapter 05 Dopamine and SEEKING: Subcortical “Reward” Systems and Appetitive Urges, Jaak Panksepp, Joseph Moskal; Neurotransmitters; Chapter 06 An Accumbens Dopamine–Acetylcholine System for Approach and Avoidance, Bartley G. Hoebel, Nicole M. Avena, Pedro Rada; Hormones; Chapter 07 The Role and Mechanisms of Steroid Hormones in Approach–Avoidance Behavior, Cheryl A. Frye, Madeline E. Rhodes; Olfaction; Chapter 08 Development of Olfactory Modulated Approach and Avoidance Motivated Behaviors, Regina M. Sullivan, Donna J. Toufexis, Donald A. Wilson; Part 11 Basic Dispositions, Goals, and States; Basic Personality Dispositions; Chapter 09 Basic Personality Dispositions Related to Approach and Avoidance: Extraversion/Neuroticism, BAS/BIS, and Positive/Negative Affectivity, Randy J. Larsen, Adam A. Augustine; Basic Dispositions in Nonhuman Animals; Chapter 10 Individual Differences in Approach and Avoidance Motivation in Animals, Amanda C. Jones, Samuel D. Gosling; Behavioral Genetics; Chapter 11 Genetic Influences on Individual Differences in Approach and Avoidance, H. Hill Goldsmith, Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant; Social Motives and Goals; Chapter 12 Making Connections and Avoiding Loneliness: Approach and Avoidance Social Motives and Goals, Shelly L. Gable, Elliot T. Berkman; Achievement Motives and Goals; Chapter 13 Approach and Avoidance Motivation in the Achieve