(CC8) Approche versus évitement

Une distinction classique au sein des réactions émotionnelles consiste à distinguer les comportements d’approche (approach) et les comportements d’évitement (withdrawal). Comme le résument Davidson et Irwin (1999, p. 11-12), « ‘The approach system facilitates appetitive behavior and generates certain types of positive affect that are approach-related, for example, enthusiasm, pride, etc. This form of positive affect is usually generated in the context of moving toward a desired goal (...).There appears to be a second system concerned with the neural implementation of withdrawal. This system facilitates the withdrawal of an individual from sources of aversive stimulation and generates certain forms of negative affect that are withdrawal-related. For example, both fear and disgust are associated with increasing the distance between the organism and a source of aversive stimulation.’  »

Il est intéressant de remarquer qu’une telle conception théorique a également été développée par Hobbes (1651, p.119) qui décrivait que ‘« This Endeavour, when it is toward something which causes it, is called Appetitive (...) ’ ‘And when the Endeavour is fromward something, it is generally called Aversion. These words Appetite, and Aversion (...) signify the motions, one of approaching, the other of retring.’ »