Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: Understanding the Core of Goal Setting
Motivation is the driving force behind all our actions and behaviors, serving as a fundamental element in human psychology.
Understanding motivation is crucial, and knowing where your motivation originates is invaluable.
There are generally two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. This article will delve into these terms, identifying which type of motivation drives us and how we can best leverage it.
What is Intrinsic Motivation?
Intrinsic motivation is the drive that compels us to engage in activities purely for our own personal satisfaction, interest, or enjoyment derived from the activity itself, rather than for any external rewards or pressures.
It's essentially the motivation that fuels you when you're doing something simply for the love of it, be it a hobby, learning a new skill, or pursuing a passion project.
Intrinsic Motivation is
Self-driven: Intrinsic motivation is entirely self-initiated, stemming from personal interests and internal desires.
Rewarding in itself: The activity does not require external rewards to be engaging or worthwhile; the process is its own reward.
Enhances learning and creativity: Because the activities are pursued for enjoyment, they often lead to deeper learning and higher levels of creativity.
Sustainable: Intrinsic motivation can lead to sustained engagement over time, as the motivation is not dependent on external factors that may change or cease.
Promotes well-being: Engaging in intrinsically motivated activities is linked to higher levels of personal satisfaction and well-being.
“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.”
Long story short, it's something you wholeheartedly want to do.
If you love baking, no one needs to push you into it. You wake up on a Saturday morning, walk into the kitchen, and just bake. Time flies, and you cherish every second of it.
And even if your baking doesn't always turn out perfectly, you might feel a bit of frustration in the moment, but by the next day, you're ready to brush off the flour from your table and give it another go. And again. Your motivation is self-renewing.
Factors That Influence Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is marked by several key characteristics that distinguish it from extrinsic motivation:
Autonomy: You feel a sense of choice and freedom in your actions. You picked your activities yourself and you mostly do them when and how you want.
Mastery: There is a drive towards gaining proficiency or mastering a skill purely for the joy of improvement and learning, not for some external validation. You naturally want to be the best.
Purpose: The activity has personal significance or aligns with the individual’s values, contributing to a sense of meaning and purpose. We had and we will have many more talks on this blog about the purpose and your personal why’s. If task aligns with your core values, your why’s, your purpose (call it as you prefer) the motivation is bottomless.
Curiosity: It often stems from a natural desire to explore, learn, and grow. None of us is motivated with something where we can’t learn anything new.
Challenge: You are motivated by tasks that challenge you at just the right level, neither too easy to bore you nor too hard to cause anxiety. And this one is challenging, no pun intended, because if depends on how powerful are other characteristics. If your motivation from other four is huge, you are able to endure more challenging tasks. If not, too challenging task will drain your motivation and you may give up. It’s a fine balance.
Psychological Theories Supporting Intrinsic Motivation
There are main two theories that talk about the intrinsic motivation. As you will see the five key characteristics marking the intrinsic motivation mentioned above came mostly from these theories.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT): Developed by Deci and Ryan, SDT is one of the most prominent theories explaining intrinsic motivation. In short it says that the intrinsic motivation thrives on three basic psychological needs:
Autonomy - You do what you want to do.
Competence - You have sense of mastery and effectiveness (you can say it goes easy).
Relatedness - You feel the connection with others and belongingness
Flow Theory: Proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow theory describes a state of deep absorption and enjoyment in what one does. It’s often referred to as being "in the zone" or “in the flow.” The flow happens mostly when challenges you are encountering are well matched with your skills and expertise. Well, we can say when the task in hand matches your three basic psychological needs.
It all nicely fits together. When you discover your purpose and your 'why' that aligns with your core values, and when you set goals that grant you autonomy, spark curiosity, and present a challenge, you pave the way to mastery, making your motivation unstoppable.
What's more, engaging in goals aligned with your passions often leads you into a state of flow, where the tasks are so enjoyable that you progress even more swiftly.
The more effort you put into identifying the characteristics of your intrinsic motivation initially, the easier and quicker you'll grow into mastery later on.
“In flow, people lived so deeply in the moment, and felt so utterly in control, that their sense of time, place, and even self melted away. They were autonomous, of course. But more than that, they were engaged. They were, as the poet W. H. Auden wrote, “forgetting themselves in a function.””
What is Extrinsic Motivation?
Extrinsic motivation refers to the drive to engage in an activity to earn a reward or avoid punishment. This might include performing tasks for financial compensation, praise, grades, or to steer clear of negative outcomes such as criticism or penalties. The crucial aspect of extrinsic motivation is that the activity itself isn't inherently enjoyable or satisfying; it's the external incentives that propel the action.
Extrinsic motivation doesn't necessarily have to be perceived negatively, like a proverbial bad stepmother using punishment to motivate Snow White.
A relatable example could be social media use. Consider someone who posts frequently on social media platforms. Initially, this person may start by expressing themselves and sharing moments with friends and family. However, the underlying motivation might shift increasingly towards receiving likes, comments, and gaining social validation, which could eventually become the primary motivator.
Over time, the individual may begin to prioritize content that is more likely to get likes, and eventually, they might lose their original motivation because the activity no longer aligns with their initial intentions or passions.
Characteristics of extrinsic motivation
Reward-based: The primary characteristic of extrinsic motivation is its reliance on external rewards or the avoidance of undesirable outcomes, punishments.
Performance-oriented: Often, extrinsically motivated behaviors are focused on achieving a specific outcome or meeting a standard for reward or recognition.
Dependency: Extrinsic motivation depends on the presence of external incentives. Without these incentives, the motivation to engage in the activity may diminish.
Control: This type of motivation can sometimes stem from external pressure or obligation, rather than personal choice or interest.
In life, there is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution. Not everything can be driven purely by intrinsic motivation.
Both you and I need to work, and our day-to-day jobs often involve tasks that are not solely motivated by intrinsic factors. There are tasks that must be completed for a reward.
However, our level of enjoyment or disdain for these tasks largely depends on the balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Sometimes, being really well-compensated can motivate us to undertake even those tasks that don’t intrinsically appeal to us, allowing us to continue without losing motivation over time.
But, if the rewards are not adequate, every minute can feel burdensome.
Additionally, even with generous compensation, a lack of intrinsic motivation behind your work can lead to eventual burnout.
Finding the right balance is key.
“What science is revealing is that carrots and sticks can promote bad behavior, create addiction, and encourage short-term thinking at the expense of the long view.”
Comparing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: Key Differences
To summarize the difference and to help us clearly see how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations differ, let's examine their characteristics side by side:
| Aspect | Intrinsic Motivation | Extrinsic Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Comes from within the individual, driven by personal satisfaction and interest. | Driven by external rewards or the avoidance of negative consequences. |
| Rewards | The activity itself is the reward; personal growth, enjoyment, and fulfillment are key. | Rewards are external to the activity, such as money, grades, praise, or avoidance of punishment. |
| Engagement | High level of engagement due to genuine interest and enjoyment. | Engagement may be more conditional, based on the presence of external rewards or pressures. |
| Persistence | Often leads to sustained effort over time, even in the absence of external rewards. | Persistence may wane once external incentives are removed or no longer deemed worth the effort. |
| Performance | Can enhance creativity and quality of performance due to deep engagement with the task. | Performance may be aimed at meeting minimum requirements to obtain rewards or avoid punishments. |
| Satisfaction | Typically leads to higher satisfaction and well-being, as activities align with personal values and interests. | Satisfaction may be more transient, depending on the perceived value of the external rewards. |
| Autonomy | Associated with a sense of choice and volition; activities are self-selected based on interest. | May feel more like an obligation or requirement due to external demands or expectations. |
This list underscores why individuals tend to be happier when they engage in their hobbies, as opposed to tasks in their day-to-day jobs driven by extrinsic rewards.
The ultimate goal is to discover the intersection between our everyday work and our hobbies.
This is the essence of the saying, 'Love what you do, and you won’t have to work a day in your life.’
“Those artists who pursued their painting and sculpture more for the pleasure of the activity itself than for extrinsic rewards have produced art that has been socially recognized as superior.”
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Goal Setting
Let’s dive into my favorite topic: goal setting.
As you've likely gathered from the article, understanding both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations—and skillfully leveraging them when setting your goals—can significantly boost your motivation, performance, and overall satisfaction in achieving those goals.
It’s evident that the most fulfilling goals, the ones that lead to personal growth and life satisfaction, are those that stem from your intrinsic motivation. These goals resonate with your core values and interests, offering a deeper sense of purpose and joy in the journey towards achieving them.
So how to leverage this knowledge in goal setting?
Strategies for Goal Setting:
Core Values: Before embarking on your goal-setting journey, it's crucial to take a moment and deeply reflect on your core values. This introspection helps you uncover the deepest reasons behind your actions and your true purpose. With a clear understanding of these values, it becomes easier to identify your intrinsic motivations, ensuring that your goals are both meaningful and aligned with what truly matters to you.
Self-Reflection: Make sure that you regularly asses your goals if they are still aligned with your personal interests, values, and passions.
Set Personal Challenges: The most effective goals are those that stretch you just beyond your comfort zone—not so far that they become overwhelming, but enough to propel you forward. Some experienced goal setters advocate for setting targets with an 80% chance of not being met, arguing that such ambitious goals can provide significant motivation. However, I recommend adopting this approach only if you're highly confident in your goal-setting abilities and have already achieved a level of mastery in your area of focus. Taking on such challenging goals without the necessary preparation can lead to disappointment and a decrease in motivation.
Curiosity-Driven Learning: Your goals should incorporate an element of learning, with curiosity as the driving force rather than the prospect of a reward. Learning-oriented goals are often better structured within the OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) framework rather than the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) criteria. This is primarily because quantifying the progress of learning can be challenging. Setting ambitious objectives that encourage exploration and growth is a more effective strategy.
Autonomy in Goal Setting: Clearly, when a goal is deeply aligned with your core values—emanating from your heart—you'll feel a greater sense of autonomy and motivation. However, extrinsic motivation can serve as a valuable initial push for some goals. For instance, my significant motivation to start running marathons was initially extrinsic, spurred by my doctor informing me for three consecutive years about the worsening condition of liver fat.
Initially, I wasn't a fan of running, but extrinsic motivation prompted me to set my first goals. Over time, as I engaged with the activity, intrinsic factors such as autonomy, challenge, mastery, and purpose began to dominate. What started as an externally motivated endeavor transformed into an intrinsic passion over the course of a year.
Now, running is a passion of mine, decorated with several medals on my wall—a scenario I couldn't have imagined a year ago.
This approach can apply to various goals. For example, consider a student aiming to master a new language. Intrinsically, they are motivated by curiosity and the joy of learning. Extrinsically, they seek to earn a certification that will bolster their career. This blend of personal interest and professional advancement creates a robust motivation to persist and succeed.
Finding the right balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in your goal setting is key to achieving success.
Where to go from here
Recommended reading
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
