Illustration by Joshua Seong.
Is It Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation?
What Are Examples of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation?
Illustration by Joshua Seong. © Verywell, 2018.
Consider for a moment your motivation for reading this article.
There are a number of activities that fall into this category.
These may or may not produce something or provide a prize.
Instead, we do them because we like to.
They make us happy.
Of course, that isn’t to say that intrinsically motivated behaviors do not come with their own rewards.
These rewards involve creating positive emotions within the individual.
This phenomenon is known as theoverjustification effect.
People tend to be more creative when they are intrinsically motivated.
In work prefs, for instance, productivity can be increased by using extrinsic rewards such as a bonus.
However, the actual quality of the work performed is influenced by intrinsic factors.
In Education
Intrinsic motivation is an important topic in education.
Teachers and instructional designers strive to develop learning environments that are intrinsically rewarding.
They identify several different ways to create learning environments that are intrinsically rewarding.
The wordsfun, interesting, captivating, enjoyable,andintrinsically motivatingare used interchangeably to describe such activities.
In Personal Pursuits
Examples of intrinsic motivation in daily life abound.
Whenever you do something “just for you,” you’re responding to intrinsic motivation.
Salience or the significance of the event itself often plays a critical role.
An athlete competing in a sporting event might view the winner’s prize as confirmation of competence and exceptionalism.
On the other hand, some athletes might view the same prize as a sort of bribe or coercion.
These are important elements for a well-balanced life.
Realizing your own intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and balancing them can be quite rewarding.
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