Extrinsic Motivation
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What Energizes Extrinsic Motivation?
Motivation can come from outside oneself, such as the motivation to receive a financial reward, get a good grade, gain attention and recognition from peers, or attract media attention. This form of motivation is our subject of discussion, known as extrinsic motivation. It is so called extrinsic motivation because it involves participation in something when the reward is external to the process of participation.
Extrinsic motivation is energized by external factors such as an expectation of keeping a job, advancing or getting a promotion, being well paid, keeping one’s boss happy, gaining some recognition, or being praised for a job well done. For example, I might dislike my job in banking, but because it pays a very high salary I continue to be extrinsically motivated to continue this career path.
A person may also be motivated to do something to avoid a negative outcome, which too is extrinsic motivation. When participation stems from the sheer enjoyment that comes from the process (i.e., participation is enjoyable, exciting, interesting) and is not preoccupied by external rewards, the process is known as intrinsic motivationOpens in new window. Internally motivated behavior involves participation in the process for its own sake because it is in itself rewarding.
Unsurprisingly, there is considerable evidence to suggest that the pursuit of intrinsically motivating goals leads to higher levels of happinees and well-being than extrinsically motivated goals. But a lot of what we do is extrinsically motivated, for example when we strive to reach goals such as social acceptance or approval, prestige, financial gain, material benefit and the like, many of which involve engaging in thigns we do not find fulfilling.
Furthermore, it seems that when we spend most of our time in extrinsically motivated activities, even if we enjoy the success, financial rewards and the affirmation of others, we may not be satisfied overall with our lives. Feelings of enslavement to a set of goals imposed by our perception of social expectations and aims can lead to a compromised or diminished sense of agency, with the external demands exerting an overwhelming power over us. When this happens we not only lose our sense of autonomy, but also our effectiveness in dealing with our lives.
Typically, extrinsic motivation occurs when individuals are motivated to perform a behavior or engage in an activity in order to earn a reward or avoid punishment. This kind of motivation works in coercive systems in which compliance is expected, where the vision is espoused from the top down, expecting people to “buy-into” it or at least accept it.
External rewards may be beneficial in attracting interest and participation in something when initially there was no interest, and it can be used to motivate people to acquire new skills or knowledge, which, in turn, may then become internally motivated. Extrinsic rewards may also be viewed as a source of feedback in which people are made aware of whether their performance was acceptable or attained a certain standard. Promoters may also get someone to accomplish a task when that person otherwise had no interest in doing it.
