Motivation is what pushes us to do and accomplish both the things we want and need to do, from going to school or work, to spending time with friends and loved ones, spending our time enjoying our hobbies. Many times, our motivation is not something we are consciously aware of, especially when it comes to thinking how we are motivated. There are two main different types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic motivation consists of outside rewards that continue to drive us. The primary example of this that many of us see in our daily lives is going to work. Many, but not all of us, are driven to go to work and continue working for a paycheck. In sports, we may be driven to play or participate for a trophy at the end of the season. We may continue to shop at one store or use one particular credit card for their rewards and loyalty programs. There are many outside sources that provide rewards of some kind to continue to motivate us to engage in certain behaviors.

Intrinsic motivation consists of rewards that come from within us to start or continue engaging in a certain activity or behavior. With intrinsic motivation, the reward is solely from the challenge, enjoyment, or satisfaction we receive when accomplishing a task or engaging in a certain behavior (Nickerson 2021). For example, helping a friend or even a stranger while expecting no rewards because we value being friendly or helpful. As children (or adults) playing our favorite game or going outside to run around just because it brings us joy and happiness. Completing a puzzle or learning how to play a new song on an instrument may be challenging, but we are intrinsically motivated to accomplish the task for satisfaction of doing so at the end of it. Many goals we might set for ourselves, we do for the feeling of self-fulfillment and personal satisfaction, rather than for a monetary reward or to avoid punishment.

Although they may sound like opposites, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are not mutually exclusive. For example, someone may be motivated to work through both the extrinsic motivator of money and the intrinsic motivator of their personal fulfillment and joy of the job. The effects of each motivator may also change over time too. However, the two types do have their differences outside of the types of rewards and source of the motivation. Intrinsic motivation may increase self-motivation and allow one to work towards a task or goal for a longer period. Extrinsic motivation can assist in social learning, including learning new behaviors, and allow individuals to complete necessary tasks that would otherwise have little interest to them. However, although intrinsic motivation can provide long-lasting changes, these changes can often be slow. Conversely, although the changes brought about extrinsic motivation may be faster, removing the external reward can result in loss of motivation and stop or even reverse any progress made towards that goal or change in behavior.

Works Cited:

Nickerson, C. (2021, Dec 01). Differences of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/differences-between-extrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation..html

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