Blog Post #8: Intrinsic VS Extrinsic Motivation
Have you ever wondered what drives motivation? Motivation is a psychological factor that heavily influences human behavior. We all can define motivation as something that pushes us to proactively carry out certain actions. However, we can split what drives motivation into two categories. Behavioral economists have termed these categories intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic refers to originating internally from personal interests and goals, while extrinsic refers to being prompted by external rewards or punishments.
Before we can analyze motivation, we have to understand the earliest and most influential theory of motivation coined by Abraham Maslow in the 1940s. A research article titled “Theories of motivation: A comprehensive analysis of human behavior drivers” dissects his theory well, stating how Maslow believed that “human needs are organized into a hierarchy, with the most basic needs at the bottom and the most complex needs at the top. Maslow believed that humans must satisfy their lower-level needs before they can move on to satisfying their higher-level needs.” This theory has been widely discussed among business owners and teachers, as it has influenced the designing of workplaces that can better motivate employees and the development of programs that will better engage learners.
Often, extrinsic motivation can “crowd out” intrinsic motivation. According to The Decision Lab, “Crowding out suggests that when we are promised a reward for completing an activity, we lose an intrinsic desire to perform that task. As a result, we are less likely to engage in that activity. The supply of behavior is crowded out by the external reward.” For example, parents trying to get their kids to do their homework by rewarding them with ice cream or a five-dollar bill can actually diminish their intrinsic motivation. This theory suggests how cultivating our intrinsic motivation is essential for finding value and consistency to achieving a goal.
Some methods that teachers use to foster intrinsic motivation among students is thinking about questions such as: Do students have autonomy in how they are doing their work? Is this engaging? Do students understand the relevance and why we are doing this work? According to a PsychologyToday article titled “Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation at Work”, skill variety, task identity, and task significance taken together with autonomy and feedback will leave employees finding their work to be more intrinsically motivating.
Many studies have shown that humans perform their best work when they are intrinsically motivated. This is because the work is driven by personal fulfillment and passion, not because of some external factor. However, extrinsic motivation is not completely bad either, as studies have shown how a healthy combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can boost overall performance even further.
Next time you are prompted by a reward or external factor, try to be aware of how these factors can crowd out your intrinsic motivation, and make sure to not lose your initial passion!
