Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

For many years, researchers showed that we were motivated based on two drives: biological and external. The biological drive includes “eating to satiate hunger, drinking to quench a thirst, copulating to satisfy carnal urges” (SAE creative institute, 2016). The external motivations are about rewards and punishments. For example, if someone gets a raise, they will work hard; and “conversely threatening to dock a person’s pay will make them arrive on time” (SAE creative institute, 2016). In 1949, when Harry F. and two of his colleagues conducted the experiment of monkeys and motivation, the found out there was a third factor other than, biological drive and external motivation. The third drive was the performance of the task provided intrinsic rewards. For the monkeys, it was gratifying to solve the puzzle. According to Edward Deci, a Carnegie Mellon University psychology graduate student, he concluded that rewards are a short-term boost that intensifies and enhance performance. Additionally, it reduces intrinsic motivation and therefore longer-term motivation. To sum it up, rewards can have a negative effect (SAE creative institute, 2015).

Intrinsic motivation comes from internal desires to perform a particular task. The reward would, for example, pleasure, develops a particular skill, or it’s morally the right thing to do. Extrinsic motivation is external rewards that are not related to tasks they are performing, for example, money, greats, etc. When students are intrinsically motivated, their learning experience is more meaningful, and they go deeper into the subject to fully understand it. According to Abraham Maslow, a theorist, before we can be intrinsically motivated we must first satisfy some more basic human needs. There are five human needs; physiological needs (sex), safety needs (ex. stability), esteem needs (ex. desire for strength), the need for self-actualization (growth need) (Intrinsic/Extrinsic motivation and Hierarchy of Needs.)

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Unfortunately, intrinsic motivation dies out in schools and universities, as the external motivation, in this case, are grades, are controlling the student's motivation to work. The students’ creativity dies out and left with concerns about grades. I sometimes want to learn a certain task in details but since there are deadline and penalties as well as grades, I try to look for the easiest and the fastest way to get the task done, instead of focusing on actually learning.

To some up, I believe that the system drives people to focus on extrinsic motivation. It controls people’s mindset to think about the actual external awards. Sometimes it also kills passion. For example, an artist could love drawing, however, when he started getting paid for it the passion dies out. Or according to Maslow, if the four other needs are not satisfied (ex. safety needs) they would not be intrinsic motivated to get tasks done.

References

Intrinsic/Extrinsic motivation and Hierarchy of Needs. (n.d.). In Florida International University. Retrieved December 4, 2016, from http://www2.fiu.edu/~cryan/motivation/intrinsic.htm

SAE Creative Institute. (2015, May 1). Self-Directed Practitioners. In Week 12: Creative Leadership. Retrieved December 4, 2016, from https://medium.com/self-directed-practitioners/week-13-creative-leadership-14fa51a341b0#.z538596i4