Pain avoidance

Abraham Maslow  was somebody that had questioned the assumptions 
   that pain avoidance and tension reduction motivated most human 
   behavior.

He believed that if we are to investigate the prime movers 
   of humanity, we must focus not merely on avoidance behavior but look 
   at seeking behavior as well.

Whereas pain avoidance and tension 
   reduction often lead to behavior that could be characterized as the 
   easy way out, for most it is not enough to merely remain inert until 
   threat prompts an avoidance response.

Maslow believed that the 
   significance of our lives constitutes more than just the sum total of 
   our avoidance responses.

It is the striving for growth, happiness, and 
   satisfaction that seems to inspire us to go beyond the minimal effort 
   to sustain life and to put forth the effort required to enable us not 
   only to improve ourselves but to improve our lot in life as well.

   The need to strive toward fulfillment and enhancement that Maslow 
   advocated appears especially well suited to explaining why some 
   married couples are fairly satisfied with how their financial affairs 
   are managed, whereas for others, the degree of dissatisfaction with 
   their financial situation leads to divorce. In many eases, the married 
   couples who are satisfied have been able to establish a budget that 
   provides not only for the maintenance of life but for the enhancement 
   of the quality of their lives as well.