ABSTRACT
In the original statement of his theory, Mowrer (1939) critically examined the contrasting theories of Freud, Pavlov and Watson and concluded that anxiety is best construed as a conditioned pain reaction. He argued that anxiety is not merely a reaction to painful stimuli or associations, but that it can also energize behaviour. The motivating quality of anxiety is of central importance, and Mowrer added that any behaviour which leads to a reduction of anxiety is stamped in – the reduction of anxiety acts as a reinforcement. The final part of the theory is the proposition that the behaviour motivated by anxiety is avoidant and that when it is successful, it leads to a reduction of anxiety and thereby to the strengthening of the avoidance behaviour itself. ‘Fear . . . motivates and reinforces behaviour that tends to avoid or prevent the recurrence of the pain producing (unconditioned) stimulus’ (Mowrer 1939: 554). In an elaboration, Mowrer shifted the emphasis from the cause of fear to its motivating qualities. He claimed that ‘two causal steps are necessary . . . fear in the case of both active and passive avoidance behaviour is an essential intermediate “cause” or “variable”’ (Mowrer 1960: 48-49).
