Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation - Essay Example

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Introduction Motivation is the key to any activity. It is the most important factor for any to study, any employ to work or even any athlete to play. In fact if motivation was lacking with our parents we would not have even been born. Therefore, it can be said that motivation is the main reason for all of us to engage in a particular behavior. There are several researchers who are engaged or study this subject in psychology and neuropsychology. There are several reasons for a person to get motivated in doing a specific act. To list a few it may include basic needs such as food or a desired object, goal, state of being, or ideal. Besides, the motivation for a behavior may also be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism or morality. According to Geen (1994), motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of human behavior. In other words, motivation is a state of mind which is influenced by the environment, by those around and above all by us (Yates, 2002). Researchers have identified basically two kinds of motivation- the intrinsic and the extrinsic motivation. The main purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. Additionally it also examines the effectiveness of both types of motivation and discuss some of the personal views with respect to which process provides the most effective results and why. There are several researchers who have worked and continue to work on intrinsic and extrinsic types of motivation, and these studies have shed light on their impact on individuals on both developmental and educational practices (Ryan and Deci, 2000). In general, intrinsic motivation occurs when people are internally motivated to do something because it either brings them pleasure, they think it is important, or they feel that what they are learning is morally significant. For example, in a husband and wife relationship unless both are motivated to be faithful, happy and committed to each other or are intrinsically motivated, it is impossible for them to be happy. Another example is if a child is studying out of real interest in the subjects and his curiousness to learn about the subject, it can be said that the child is intrinsically motivated. On the other hand extrinsic motivation can be explained as if a person is motivated to take an action after gaining the knowledge of the rewards. In other words extrinsically motivated behaviors are actions that result in the accomplishment of externally administered rewards, such as pay, material possessions, status, and positive evaluations from others (Bateman and Crant, N.D.). For example, when a student is compelled to achieve distinction in his exams because of the prize announced by the teacher can be considered as extrinsic motivation. The student does not learn the subjects out of the real interest on the subjects but due to pressure. While it is debated that intrinsic motivation plays a major role in reflecting the natural human propensity to learn and assimilate, extrinsic motivation differs considerably in its relative autonomy and thus can either be a sign of external control or true self-regulation (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Motivation influences productivity, and I believe it is essential to understand what motivates people to reach peak performance. It is not an easy task to increase their motivation because they respond in different ways. Motivation among different category of people differs. For instance, a child of 2-3 years may differ from a school going child in motivation. A teenager may differ from the adult. An employee may differ from the business owner. Therefore in all these cases there are different intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and researchers have studied in depth on these issues. And most of them agree that motivation in general is something that energizes, direct, and sustains behaviors (fiu.edu, N.D.). If we take a look at the work of early researchers it can be seen that the extrinsic motivation literature evolved first. Ever since the research of Thorndike (1911), there are several thousands of studies, ranging from laboratory experiments to field interventions such as the Emery Air Freight study (Hamner & Hamner, 1976). These studies have been carried on the behaviorist tradition of changing behavior by controlling extrinsic contingencies. Researchers have found especially in case of employee motivation that through the identification and change of environmental contingencies, including extrinsic reinforcements, employees get motivated and have been realized in work behaviors including attendance, punctuality, stockwork, selling, cost reduction, work quality, productivity, sales calls, and customer service (Komaki, 1982). In contrast researchers have found that intrinsic motivation is known to exist when behavior is performed for its own sake rather than to gain material or social reinforces. It is only after the psychologists established the intrinsic "needs," management scholars developed the important distinction between intrinsic motivation which they described as a hypothetical construct most probably residing within the person and intrinsically motivating tasks. Herzberg (1966) explained tasks as intrinsically motivating especially when they are characterized by key "motivators" such as responsibility, challenge, achievement, variety, and advancement opportunity. Later on the basis of Herzberg's work Hackman and Oldham (1976) recognized task variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the task as key task characteristics that generate internal motivation. Studies conducted by Bateman and Crant (N.D.) found that intrinsic rewards and values operate in ways different from extrinsic rewards and values, and also to differentially affect attributions of intrinsic motivation, perceived control, and satisfaction. Additionally, it was also found that some of the relationships indicate the significance of fit but others were not predicted by fit theory, possibly identifying boundary conditions for the theory. However, the popular belief that extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation was not disproved, but was clearly unsupported by these methods. Researchers also point out that intrinsically motivated students are bound to do much better in classroom activities, because they are willing and eager to learn new material. These students have the learning experience which is more meaningful, and they go deeper into the subject to fully understand it. On the other hand, extrinsically motivated students may have to be bribed to perform the same tasks (fiu.edu, N.D.). Age differences in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and the relationships of each to academic outcomes were examined by recent researchers and found intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to be only moderately correlated. Therefore, suggesting that they may be largely orthogonal dimensions of motivation in school (Lepper et al. 2005). Abraham Maslow, concluded his studies on motivation factors and said that before a person can be intrinsically motivated it is important to first satisfy some more basic human needs. Maslow classified these needs into five groups namely the physiological needs which is the basic needs such as food, water, air, shelter, clothing and sex; safety needs that include order, stability, routine, familiarity, control over one's life and environment, certainty and health; social needs including love, affection, belonging and acceptance; esteem needs that include desire for strength, achievement, adequacy, mastery of competence, confidence, independence and freedom and desire for reputation or prestige (defining it as respect from other people), status, fame, glory, dominance, importance, recognition, dignity or appreciation; and finally the need for self-actualization and include those individual who are able to reach their full potential a human being (fiu.edu, N.D.). In order to explain in simple terms the above mentioned concepts here are two examples: If a medical student studies just for the sake of a degree (which is an extrinsic motivation) cannot really succeed in a long run as there is a need for a deep interest in the subject (intrinsic motivation). It is the skills developed by the doctor that pays in a longer run than just a degree. Motivation influences productivity, and I believe it is essential to understand what motivates people to reach peak performance. It is not an easy task to increase their motivation because they respond in different ways. I believe that satisfaction comes from achievement, recognition, advancement, responsibility, the work itself, and knowledge of the growth possibilities. In case of a sales executive, it can be said that incentives and bonuses (extrinsic motivation) are a part of motivation. A sales person gets his ultimate motivation, when his work is recognized and he gets an ultimate work satisfaction when his targets are achieved with high standards. It is essential to understand that today's sales people anticipate more from their job in the way of feeling valued, respected, involved and appreciated in the organization if you want them to perform at their best. So, while there are numerous possibilities for recognizing sales efforts, the most effective are the simple, personal ones a pat on the back or a sincere thank you (intrinsic motivation) for a job well done will go a long, long way. Therefore, it can be said that it is the intrinsic motivation that makes a person successful. References Bateman, T.S. and Crant, J.M (N.D.) Revisiting Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Retrieved on 13 December 2007 from http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/faculty_research/Research/Papers/IMOBHDP24.pdf fiu.edu, (N.D.) Intrinsic/Extrinsic motivation and Hierarchy of Needs, Retrieved on 13 December 2007 from http://www.fiu.edu/cryan/motivation/intrinsic.htm Geen, R. (1994). Human motivation: A psychological approach. Wadsworth Publishing. Hackman, J.R., and Oldham, G.R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 250-279. Hamner, W.C., and Hamner, E.P. (1976). Behavior modification and the bottom line. Organizational Dynamics, 4 (4), 3-21. Hertzberg, F. (1966). Work and the nature of man. Cleveland: World Publishing. Komaki, J. (1982). Managerial effectiveness: Potential contributions of the behavioral approach. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 3, 71-83. Lepper, M.R., Corpus, J.H. and Iyengar, S.S. (2005) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientations in the Classroom: Age Differences and Academic Correlates, Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 97, No. 2, 184-196. Ryan, R.M. and Deci, E.L. (2000) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2000, Pages 54-67. Thorndike, E.L. (1911). Animal intelligence. New York: Macmillan. Yates, P. (04 January 2002) How motivated are you All about medical sales.co.uk. Retrieved on 13 December 2007 from http://www.allaboutmedicalsales.com/articles/motivation_cts_040102.html Read More