Definition of Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is one side of motivation, while intrinsic motivation is the other. Extrinsic motivation means the individual is motivated by factors outside himself, as opposed to within, as is the case with intrinsic motivation.

  1. Identification

    • You can easily identify when extrinsic motivation is being utilized because there will be an obvious reward or punishment associated with the desired task or behavior. Giving a child a lollipop in exchange for good behavior in the grocery store is a classic example.

    Types

    • Extrinsic motivators can be physical items such as food, money or tokens. They can also be intangible such as praise, applause or grades. The motivator can be positive or negative. Fear of punishment is a powerful extrinsic motivator.

    Misconceptions

    • It is often assumed extrinsic motivators always work. This is not always the case as not all students care about good grades and not all workers care about money to the exclusion of other values.

    Benefits

    • The benefit to the provider of extrinsic motivation is that compliance with the desired behavior is often immediate. Extrinsic motivators generally work faster than intrinsic motivators.

    Warning

    • A Stanford University study conducted by David Greene and Mark R. Lepper strongly suggests children who are given extrinsic motivators to perform an enjoyable task will later not have the intrinsic motivation to do the task. The implication is that if you begin to reinforce behavior with extrinsic motivators, you will have to continue doing so as intrinsic motivation might not develop or may even be damaged.

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