Pleasure or Pain? The Remarkable Theory Behind Both Sensations

Picture this: Two different people have a dentist appointment today. Person one is generally excited about it. They are going to get their teeth cleaned. Maybe their smile will look a little better, maybe they’ll get a new toothbrush at the end.

Person two is dreading the appointment. They don’t want to go for fear of having a cavity, or other issues with their mouth. In general, they just don’t want to receive any bad news from this appointment. Their thought is no news equals good news.

This may just sound like a case of optimistic versus pessimistic — and in a sense it is — but in a deeper look, it’s more than that.

That scenario is based on Regulatory Focus Theory. It is a psychological theory developed by E. Tory Higgins, a psychology professor from Columbia University. The theory states “human motivation is rooted in the approach of pleasure and the avoidance of pain and differentiates a promotion focus from a prevention focus.”

What is Regulatory Focus Theory?

Regulatory focus theory is used to determine how to motivate someone. In work, for example, a boss needs to determine what motivates his employees to get the most out of them. If there are two employees who report to the same boss, they’ll need to be managed differently.

If one is motivated by simply not messing up and not having issues, they are more “prevention-focused.”  And an employee who is motivated by taking more risks and doing what they can to stand out is considered more “promotion-focused.”

One of Higgins’ papers on this subject simplifies the difference so eloquently. Here is the introduction of the paper:

“I have a dream.”— Martin Luther King, 1963

“Only the paranoid survive.”— Andy Grove, Founder and CEO of Intel, 1996

Two great leaders and minds of the 20th century and two different approaches. One driven by a dream, the other by wanting just to survive.

How Regulatory Focus Theory Works For You

Someone that is prevention-focused has needs that include safety and security, and goals are viewed as obligations. While a person that is promotion-focused has needs that include accomplishments and advancements; goals are instead viewed as aspirations.

Knowing which focus you fall under, or as a boss which focus your team members falls under, can help identify ways to achieve goals. If you better understand motivation, you can better understand how to accomplish objectives.

That said, no one is 100 percent prevention or 100 percent promotion-focused. It’s about finding which one you and your team members lean towards.

Higgins has some other great work on the subject. She has plenty to read about in terms of motivation, entrepreneurship, leadership and psychology.