Turning on or turning off: Sensation seeking or tension reduction as motivational determinants of alcohol use

Assessed the relative influences of sensation-seeking or tension-reduction motives on drinking behavior with 242 undergraduates who completed the Sensation Seeking Scale, the S-R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness, and a self-report index of drinking behavior. Using correlational and multiple regression procedures, the data consistently indicated a strong positive relationship between sensation seeking and alcohol use, whereas the relationship between anxiety and alcohol use was nonsignificant. The importance of sensation-seeking motives to a comprehensive motivational theory of alcohol is discussed.