Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is a personality trait in which people experience pleasure in the process of doing something. Extrinsic motivation is the stimulus of rewards and punishments or avoidance of pain. 

This includes other people’s approval, such as praise. Intrinsic motivation has been found to have better outcomes than extrinsic motivators such as money, fame, grades and other commodity-based incentives mentioned above.Jobsrose

The relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations is an interesting topic and can be explored with examples from history. The Protestant Reformation by Martin Luther was motivated by his own interpretation of scripture which contradicts many Catholic beliefs (Lutheran Churches still exist today). 

This motivated Luther to take back from the Catholic Church – the authority of interpreting scripture, thus, leaving it up to each individual to decide what is true and what is not. This example helps us realize that there are profound consequences and ramifications from the decisions made by each individual person.

Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivation :

1. The Difference Between Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivation :

Extrinsic motivation is a behavioral decision where someone performs an action because of the external factors that motivate them. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation is when a person does something that motivates them from within. 

The main difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation comes down to the source of the actions. Extrinsically motivated actions are done because of external reasons like money or fame, while intrinsically motivated actions are done for selfish reasons like enjoyment. 

Think about when you have to take out the trash or do your homework, you do it because you have to, not because you want to do those things for their own sake.

2. The Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation :

One study found that students who were intrinsically motivated to learn a new skill performed much better than those students who were extrinsically motivated by the promise of money for mastering that skill. Another study tested whether intrinsic or extrinsic rewards would result in better grades and improved performance on a test.

 They found that both types of rewards improved grades, but that intrinsic rewards had the most significant effect on performance. In other words, motivation from within is much more effective than motivation from without.

3. The Benefits of Extrinsic Motivation :

While motivation from within is better than from without, there are times when we need a little push in the right direction. Extrinsic motivators can provide that push and help us get started on tasks we might not initially enjoy doing. 

Think about the last time you started working out, or how you performed your chores as a child. Sometimes extrinsic motivators like rewards and punishments are necessary to get us going, but over time these motivators lose their power and we need to find other ways to keep ourselves going.

4. How to Keep Up Your Motivation :

In addition to the motivation coming from within, a study by Oettingen showed that there are other factors that can affect and increase intrinsic motivation. The researchers found that setting goals increased intrinsic motivation, as well as an explanation of why something is important or what the consequences are of not doing it.

 In other words, being told the ultimate reason why you should do something will help you keep up your motivation to do it. Another way of keeping up this intrinsic motivation is using other more traditional motivators such as money as incentives for future activities.

 When someone receives a reward for finishing an assignment or task, this encourages them to finish and complete future tasks in the same manner.

5. Studies :

A study by Deci and Ryan (1985) showed that people who were intrinsically motivated to play with puzzles for fun did better than people who were rewarded for completing the puzzles. Another study by Deci and Ryan (1971) found that providing a reward for doing something made the subjects less interested in doing it and even reduced the amount of time they spent on future tasks.

 The researchers concluded that intrinsic motivation is not only better than extrinsic motivation, but that there is no benefit at all from using external rewards and punishments to motivate people.

6. Extrinsic Motivation :

Extrinsic motivation is the use of rewards and punishments to influence behavior. These external factors motivate a person for different reasons. Some common examples include money, grades, praise or pictures.

 Extrinsic motivators usually come from outside the person, from an external source or an organization. Extrinsic motivators have been found to have better outcomes than intrinsic motivators such as money, fame, grades and other commodity-based incentives mentioned above.

7. Intrinsic Motivation :

Intrinsic motivation is a personality trait in which people experience pleasure in the process of doing something. People who are intrinsically motivated do things because they want to, not because of external rewards. 

An example of intrinsic motivation is eating healthy food because you want to stay healthy. There are different kinds of intrinsic motivation, each one coming from a different source. Some common examples of intrinsic motivation include curiosity and fun. Intrinsic motivation has been found to have better outcomes than extrinsic motivators such as money, fame, grades and other commodity-based incentives mentioned above.