The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives
This paper analyzes the social drive, from the shared foundation of behavioral psychology, ethology, and attachment theory. It explores how the social drive has been considered a secondary or acquired drive and identifies the original advocates for this perspective, while outlining their prerequisit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Acta Psychologica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825000095 |
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| author | Morten Christoffersen |
| author_facet | Morten Christoffersen |
| author_sort | Morten Christoffersen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper analyzes the social drive, from the shared foundation of behavioral psychology, ethology, and attachment theory. It explores how the social drive has been considered a secondary or acquired drive and identifies the original advocates for this perspective, while outlining their prerequisites for primary drives. This provides a framework for empirical investigation which include 1) having a physiological component, 2) survival value for the species, 3) not relying on pairing with other primary reinforcers, and 4) displaying covariation with behavior based on satiation and deprivation. The paper gradually moves from older studies to modern ones, demonstrating that the social drive fulfills all criteria, by utilizing older empirical studies on isolation, bad rearing, neonatal social reinforceability, as well as modern research on social deprivation/satiation and loneliness. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this reclassification on existing psychological theories, and its potential to influence future psychotherapeutic treatments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2b39cc476302441682e660751eb70af7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0001-6918 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Psychologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-2b39cc476302441682e660751eb70af72025-02-07T04:46:33ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182025-04-01254104696The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drivesMorten Christoffersen0Bartholins Allé 9, Building 1350, Room 229, Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DenmarkThis paper analyzes the social drive, from the shared foundation of behavioral psychology, ethology, and attachment theory. It explores how the social drive has been considered a secondary or acquired drive and identifies the original advocates for this perspective, while outlining their prerequisites for primary drives. This provides a framework for empirical investigation which include 1) having a physiological component, 2) survival value for the species, 3) not relying on pairing with other primary reinforcers, and 4) displaying covariation with behavior based on satiation and deprivation. The paper gradually moves from older studies to modern ones, demonstrating that the social drive fulfills all criteria, by utilizing older empirical studies on isolation, bad rearing, neonatal social reinforceability, as well as modern research on social deprivation/satiation and loneliness. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this reclassification on existing psychological theories, and its potential to influence future psychotherapeutic treatments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825000095Social driveSocial needSocial instinctSocial reinforcement |
| spellingShingle | Morten Christoffersen The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives Acta Psychologica Social drive Social need Social instinct Social reinforcement |
| title | The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives |
| title_full | The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives |
| title_fullStr | The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives |
| title_full_unstemmed | The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives |
| title_short | The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives |
| title_sort | case for a primary social drive revisiting definitions for primary drives |
| topic | Social drive Social need Social instinct Social reinforcement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825000095 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mortenchristoffersen thecaseforaprimarysocialdriverevisitingdefinitionsforprimarydrives AT mortenchristoffersen caseforaprimarysocialdriverevisitingdefinitionsforprimarydrives |