Motivation: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic

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Recommended: Factors that aid student motivation

Motivation can be defined as the desire or inspiration to carry out specific tasks or to do something. Motivation is required when goals are being set and more so in their execution. In a work setting, motivation can be defined as a process through which individuals choose between alternative forms of behavior with the aim of achieving personal objectives. The goals sought by individuals can be extrinsic or relatively tangible such as monetary rewards and promotion, or intrinsic or intangible such as self esteem or job satisfaction (Armstrong, 2006). In learning, the desire to attain good grades is what motivates a student to study hard everyday as they prepare for the exam. On the other hand, for a teacher to put his best foot forward, he has to be motivated by the desire to see his students come out tops at the end of term or year. Being passionate and interested in a particular thing is also a big motivator to pursue the same to completion. In other words, motivation is mostly an intrinsic quality within a person that persuades him/her to focus on a certain thing over and above another thing. Even though motivation is in its most natural intrinsic, it can also be acquired and encouraged through learning how to set achievable goals and persistently pursuing them. Interest in a certain task or goal gives an individual the drive, persistence, right level of involvement and focus, which are all characteristics of motivation (Psychyl, 2008). Motivation towards a specific task is also determined by values of the person and the person’s perception of the particular issue. There are mainly two types of motivation; intrinsic motivation which is basically self-motivation based on interest and belief in a certain task or doing an activity...

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...man, H.A., & McKie, R.L. (2006). Goal orientation, task difficulty and task interest: A multilevel analysis. Motivation and Emotion.

Lepper M., Corpus J., and Iyengar S. (2005). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientations in the Classroom: Age Differences and Academic Correlates. Journal of Education Psychology Vol. 97, No. 2, 184 – 196.

Psychyl, T. (2008). Don’t Delay: How do task difficulty and interest affect our goal setting? Retrieved 13 February 2012 from

Ryan, R. and Deci, E. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and

New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 54–67.

Whitehead, J. (1991). Physical Activity and Intrinsic Motivation. PCPFS Research Digest. Series 1, No. 2, 3 – 6.

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