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Approach and Avoidance Motivation

Educational Psychology ReviewPublished 1 June 2001
Andrew J. Elliot, Martin V. Covington
Citations842
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score4.38
SNIP5.30

Abstract

In this article, we introduce this special issue by establishing a conceptual foundation for the distinction between approach and avoidance motivation. We do so primarily by explicating several reasons why the approach–avoidance distinction should be viewed as fundamental and basic to the study of human behavior. In addition, we compare and contrast the "approach–avoidance" designation with other designations that have been used in the motivational literature to cover the same or similar conceptual ground. Finally, we conclude by briefly overviewing the other contributions to this special issue, specifically highlighting how they make use of the approach–avoidance distinction.

Keywords

Psychology