Strategies for Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is defined as motivating behavior using outside or external factors. Extrinsic motivation can be positive, in effect a bribe for performing the desired act, or negative with a threat of consequences if the desired behavior is not performed. One of the most common examples of extrinsic motivation is pay for a job. Unless you go to work entirely for the satisfaction of accomplishing the tasks put before you, the salary you receive on payday is an extrinsic motivation for going to work. According to the website changingminds.org, extrinsic rewards are an effective and easy form of motivation.

  1. Positive Extrinsic Motivation

    • Positive extrinsic motivation refers to providing a positive reward for the accomplishment of a behavior. In business, this might be frequent-flier miles for flying on a certain airline. In school, this might be a happy face sticker on a paper that garners an "A" grade.

      To work, a positive extrinsic reward must have a defined behavioral goal--flying our airline--and a defined reward, points you can redeem in the future. The reward must have a high-enough perceived value to warrant the behavior for positive extrinsic motivation to be effective. For example, a $1 rebate would not sell many cars.

    Negative Extrinsic Motivation

    • Negative extrinsic motivation involves a threat of a negative consequence if the desired behavior is not performed. Children avoid grounding by their parents by not flunking a test. A driver avoids a speeding ticket by not driving too fast. Again, the more defined the behavior and the threatened consequence, the more effective the motivation.

      Negative extrinsic rewards lose effectiveness if the consequences are not assured. For example, if a speeder knows he will be caught only 5 percent of the time, the motivation to drive slower than the speed limit is less than if he knew he would be caught 95 percent of the time.

    Positive Rewards for Negative Behavior

    • According to the website changingminds.org, people who perform the desired behavior for a positive reward stop doing the behavior if the rewards ends. This can be used to terminate an unwanted behavior in a subtle way by first rewarding that behavior and then ending the reward. The subject may then end the unwanted behavior if there are no other motivational factors involved.

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