Motivation. Are you Intrinsically or Extrinsically Motivated?
Motivation. We all want to be motivated all the time, letting us have the most productive days. But, sometimes we simply do not have any motivation. You know, those duvet days. However, would it not make it so much easier to motivate yourself if you totally understood your own motivation? Well, one big aspect of getting a grasp on your own motivation is to acknowledge if you are motivated intrinsically or extrinsically, or in English, whether you are motivated through internal or external motives. The image below breaks down intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in simple terms:
Intrinsic Motivation
Let's get the boring formalities out the way. Intrinsic motivation is when the reward of doing something is not the output, but the process. Let's run through some examples. Why do so many people spend their Sunday afternoon running in the wet and cold UK weather playing a sport for their struggling team? Intrinsic motivation. They enjoy the game, spending time with their friends and do not care about winning a trophy or some other tangible reward.
This theory can be applied to all aspects of life, including our working lives. According to
Sarma (2021), there are five main dimensions to intrinsic motivation: recognition, challenge, assessment, autonomy, mentorship.
In the workplace, recognition relates to one's peers recognising their own work, role or value. I think almost everyone can relate to that, it does feel nice to be reassured 'Yeah, I'm doing my job well'. Where people differ is to the extent this feeling motivates them. Those who are mainly intrinsically motivated will be more motivated to perform their best as they desire this recognition.
In a more academic sense, autonomy can be described as the self-determination theory, which essentially argues we all have inner psychological needs which motivate us. A study by Deci (1971) found that a bank whom supplied workers with autonomy-related support (valuable feedback, encouragement & resources to progress themselves) benefitted from employees having higher job satisfaction & performance.
Another study that goes into great detail about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was published by Miao et al. (2020. Briefly put, the paper finds that both types of motivation can increase factors such as employee engagement, job satisfaction and improve retention rates, however as time goes on extrinsic motives weaken more than intrinsic motives.
Why is this? Well, the world of motivation is changing. 75 years ago intrinsic motivators were near non-existent - instead, most people worked solely for monetary gain. Contrastingly, many even argue intrinsic motivators are more powerful than their counterparts (Harpine, 2015; Grant, 2008; Cho & Perry 2012). I could go on all day with references, but you get the point: a lot of academics now share the notion that intrinsic motivators are more powerful than extrinsic. Having said that, extrinsic motivators still play a massive role on motivation, so let's now have a look at them.
Extrinsic Motivation
In contrast to intrinsic, extrinsic motivation is essentially the idea that we are motivated solely through external motives: monetary, social & self-centred, ego-related gains. Extrinsic motives tend to tangible. To illustrate, one who is motivated through extrinsic means mainly desire promotions, wage increases or bonuses. The image below summarises extrinsic motivation in a simple demonstration:
Considering the previous example of why someone would take part in sport in challenging conditions during their leisure time, let's look at a fitting real-life illustration of extrinsic motivation beyond just the workplace. Although some may, most children do not enjoy homework. So why do they do it? To avoid punishment; they are externally motivated to do their work.
The two most common forms of extrinsic motivation are external regulation & introjected regulation. External regulation is when one shapes their behaviour with the strategy of attempting to achieve an external goal. An example of this would be a worker realises if they work overtime often they may get that promotion - they form their behaviour based on an external goal.
Introjected regulation is different. It is the external motivation that comes from an internal source. Let me explain. Have you ever felt like if you do not do well at something then others may look down upon you, so you make sure you do your absolute best to ensure you do well at that thing? Introjected regulation motivation. In a workplace setting, this could be 'I need to make sure I am doing my job well so my peers think I'm valuable' - It is the views of those external to oneself that caused the increased motivation.
What About You
Now we have covered motivation and its two main forms, let's think about it. Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? Be honest, what gets you out of bed in the morning. Is it the feeling of belonging, being appreciated, getting that recognition or is it to make self-centred gains?
Most of us are a mix of both. Motivation is like most things in life, it is not black and white, rather it is grey and people are so complicated that it is rare a person is entirely on either end of the spectrum. However, a lot of us do tend to lean more in either direction. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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References
Anderson, E. (2017) '5 Different Types of Motivation', URL: https://www.sportsrec.com/5-different-types-motivation-12153839.html
Cherry, K. (2019) 'What Is Extrinsic Motivation?', URL: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-extrinsic-motivation-2795164
Cherry, K. (2019) 'Intrinsic Motivation - How Your Behavior is Driven By Internal Rewards', URL: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-intrinsic-motivation-2795385
Cho, Y., Perry, J. (2011) 'Intrinsic Motivation and Employee Attitudes: Role of Managerial Trustworthiness, Goal Directedness, and Extrinsic Reward Expectancy', URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0734371X11421495
Choi, J. 'How to Boost Productivity: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose', URL: https://blog.deliveringhappiness.com/the-motivation-trifecta-autonomy-mastery-and-purpose
Deci, E. (1971) 'Effects of Externally Mediated Rewards', URL: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/1971_Deci.pdf
Grant, A. (2008) 'Does Intrinsic Motivation Fuel the Prosocial Fire? Motivational Synergy in Predicting Persistence, Performance, and Productivity', URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5640891_Does_Intrinsic_Motivation_Fuel_the_Prosocial_Fire_Motivational_Synergy_in_Predicting_Persistence_Performance_and_Productivity
Harpine, E. (2015) 'Is Intrinsic Motivation Better Than Extrinsic Motivation?'
Legg, T. (2019) 'Intrinsic Motivation: How to Pick Up Healthy Motivation Techniques', URL: https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation
Sarma, S. (2021) '5 Factors That Restore The Power Of Intrinsic Motivation In The Workplace', URL: https://blog.vantagecircle.com/intrinsic-motivation-in-the-workplace/