Individuals appear to be motivated to use substances for various reasons, including the regulation of both positive and negative emotions. Based on the work of previous theorists (Cox & Klinger, 1988, 1990), Cooper (1994) developed and validated a four-factor model for drinking motivations. This model characterized drinking motives along two underlying dimensions reflecting source (internal or external) and the valence (positive or negative) of the results an individual hopes to attain by drinking. Crossing these two dimensions constructs four motivational classes: (a) intrinsic, positive reinforcement (“enhancement”), (b) extrinsic, positive reinforcement for social rewards (“social”), (c) intrinsic, negative reinforcement (“coping”), and (d) extrinsic, negative reinforcement to avoid social disapproval (“conformity”).
