Cyril O. Houle conducted one of the most famous studies on what motivates learners. He identified three subgroups to categorize motivational styles. Houle wrote, Their selection of any activity was essentially based on the amount and kind of human relationships it would yield. The more social the situation the better. As certain things motivate, others discourage.
Few things are more de-motivating than fear.
Learning is, after all, a very emotional process. We must see, feel, and do. Fear, anxiety, and anger are emotional factors that negatively affect learning. On a physical level, stress can even cause cell assemblies to fire in unorganized patterns and ultimately inhibit transfer and retrieval. Our phase sequences can be in chaos.