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Motivation acts as a crucial engine that drives every action in human life. Within this, extrinsic motivation is the push we get from external factors like praise, rewards, financial benefits, promotions, or social recognition. It serves as a powerful tool to get someone to act immediately and achieve big goals in a short period.
However, extrinsic motivation is like a double-edged sword. Many hidden dangers and side effects lie behind it. If not handled properly, it can gradually destroy a person's independent thinking and intrinsic motivation. On the other hand, if we understand its true impact and use it correctly, it can become a great catalyst for our success.
This article explores in detail the true impact of extrinsic motivation, its hidden risks, ways to use it to our advantage, and practical examples.
What Is Extrinsic Motivation?
Behind every action we take in our daily life, there is a strong reason or motivation. In psychology, this motivation is divided into two types. One of the most important among them is 'Extrinsic Motivation'.
Simply put, extrinsic motivation is when we do a task not out of our own desire, but for external factors such as a reward, money, praise, or good marks. For example, if a student studies not because they like the subject, but to get first mark in the exam and get a bike from their parents, that is extrinsic motivation.
What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation is based on personal happiness and satisfaction that comes from within our mind. However, extrinsic motivation completely depends only on external rewards.
When does extrinsic motivation help us? When we are forced to complete a task that we dislike, find boring, or feel is very difficult, this extrinsic motivation acts as a great incentive. External factors like salary, bonuses, or social recognition push us to move toward that work without being lazy.
01. Making Extrinsic Motivation Work for You
Extrinsic motivation acts as a powerful tool in changing human behavior and pushing us toward a goal. However, we must understand that it also has some limits. When we do a task, reflecting on whether we are doing it out of our own internal desire or for an external gain will help us stay consistent in that action for a long time.
What motivates you? A simple comparison:
To easily understand this, let us take daily workout as an example. If you exercise after making a bet with your friend on "who loses more weight," that is extrinsic motivation. Here, the bet money or the thought of beating your friend is what keeps you going. If you go to the gym enthusiastically because exercising gives you joy and mental satisfaction, that is intrinsic motivation.
Pros and Cons of Extrinsic Motivation
While external rewards can be powerful, they aren't a
one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on how they are used, they can drive
great results or present unique challenges.
|
Pros (Advantages) |
Cons (Challenges) |
|
Initial Momentum: External rewards act as a great
catalyst, giving you the boost needed to kickstart a new habit or tackle a
demanding task. |
Short-Lived Motivation: Once the reward or
incentive is removed, the drive to continue the task often fades away just as
quickly. |
|
Clear, Immediate Goals: Well-defined
incentives—like performance bonuses or professional certificates—provide
tangible targets that enhance focus and performance. |
Reduced Intrinsic Satisfaction: Relying solely on
external rewards can make the work feel like a chore, ultimately stripping
away the genuine joy of doing the task itself. |
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Is This Effective Over the Long Term?
Whether external rewards remain useful in the long term depends on an individual's mindset and situation. According to psychologists, even if you start a task using extrinsic motivation at first, turning it into intrinsic motivation over time (making it a habit or something you enjoy) is what leads to lasting success.
02. Potential Pitfalls of Extrinsic Motivation
There is no second opinion that gifts and appreciation can make someone perform better. However, psychology researchers have discovered a shocking truth about this. Excessive gifts and rewards can sometimes completely wipe out a person's intrinsic motivation.
What Is the Overjustification Effect?
When we offer excessive external rewards for a task that a person naturally enjoys doing (intrinsic motivation), their genuine interest in that action will fade over time. In psychology, this phenomenon is known as the "Overjustification Effect."
Imagine a child who genuinely enjoys reading storybooks.To encourage that habit further, you say, "I will give you $1 for every book you read." Although the child reads enthusiastically at first, if the money stops after a few days, the child who was reading voluntarily will stop even touching the book. Here, the 'joy' that reading gave has vanished, and 'money' has become the main focus.
The Classic Experiment by Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett
To prove this, researchers Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett conducted an interesting experiment with children.
They selected children who voluntarily picked up felt-tip pens and drew enthusiastically during play time. One group of children was given grand rewards and praise for drawing. The other group received no rewards. A few days later, blank papers and pens were given to the same children again to draw. Surprisingly, the children who received rewards earlier showed no interest in drawing. However, the children who received no rewards continued their favorite art of drawing with joy as always.
What caused this sudden lack of interest? Humans naturally analyze within themselves why they do a task. Whenever a clear external gain is linked to an action, our brain starts believing that "we are doing this only for this reward." Something that felt like a pure hobby and joy at first turns into 'work' or a 'forced duty' when attached to external rewards.
There is no doubt that extrinsic motivation and rewards are great tools to encourage an action. But they must be used with extreme caution—especially with children!
At the same time, some studies suggest that external rewards are not always dangerous. A 2014 review published in the journal 'Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences' points out that external rewards are mostly useful in learning activities and are not always harmful.
However, more research is still needed to pinpoint exactly under which circumstances and how these external rewards spoil a person's intrinsic motivation. (1,2)
03. How to Use Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation and rewards are not always dangerous; their success lies in how and in what situation we use them. When rewards are given after analyzing a specific situation, they can bring about a huge positive change.
When Do External Rewards Work Best? (Best Scenario Examples)
• Lack of Interest: When a person initially has absolutely no involvement in a specific task or subject.
• Lack of Skill: To encourage someone when they lack the basic skills required to start a new task.
• Short-Term Goals: When temporary motivation is needed for a very short period to achieve a specific purpose.
• Long-Term Journeys: Like small incentives or perks given in between to keep people working on long-term projects from getting exhausted.
In such situations, the rewards provided should not be huge, but rather small and directly related to the specific task they perform.
Once that person develops a slight internal interest in the work or learns the basic skills to do it, we should gradually reduce the external rewards and motivation we provide.
Workplace, Parenting, and Education
Extrinsic motivation plays a crucial role in various areas of our lives. Here are a few real-life examples:
• In the Workplace: A company manager organizing a 'Best Ad Design Competition' to encourage employees, announcing a gift or bonus for the winner.
• In Parenting: Parents taking their children to their favorite places or buying them snacks if they complete their household chores properly throughout the week.
• In Education: The 'Dean's List' or Best Student awards given in colleges to honor students who score high marks.
In all these situations, an external factor pushes people toward a positive action. When we handle this very strategically and carefully, that extrinsic motivation will over time turn into intrinsic motivation. That is, a person who initially starts doing a task for a reward will later begin doing it whole-heartedly and efficiently simply because they like the work and it gives them a sense of pride. (3)
04. Impact of Extrinsic Motivation
Overall, extrinsic motivation is a very noble and highly effective strategy in human life. If we closely observe our daily lives, we will understand how many things we do expecting some kind of external reward or benefit. Everything from a monthly salary to social respect is part of this.
Therefore, extrinsic motivation is not a wrong or bad thing. On the contrary, if used correctly, it is a wonderful guide.
Where Does Extrinsic Motivation Play a Crucial Role?
• Child Development: These external rewards act as an excellent tool to teach children new skills and help them grow with good values and discipline.
• Maintaining Activity: When doing boring or very difficult tasks, it greatly helps people stay focused and continue working without losing attention.
These external incentives serve as a great support for school students to complete a difficult homework they dislike, and for employees at the office to finish a challenging or tedious project within the deadline.
In short, where intrinsic motivation is absent, extrinsic motivation acts as a 'friend in need' by providing temporary drive to achieve the goal.
05. Examples of Extrinsic Motivation
We can easily understand how extrinsic motivation works through the psychological concept of 'Operant Conditioning'. That is, this scientific theory is about making a person or an animal act in a specific way through a particular reward or avoiding a consequence.
A great example of this is the very text you are reading right now!
If you read this to score good marks in your psychology exam, that is extrinsic motivation. Here, 'good marks' act as an external reward. If you read this without any compulsion, purely out of your own interest and curiosity to understand human behavior, that is intrinsic motivation.
Other Examples We See in Daily Life
Here are some key examples of extrinsic motivation commonly seen around us:
• Sports Competitions: Engaging in rigorous training to win a trophy or cash prize in a sports event.
• Education: Completing homework and projects to get good grades in school or college.
• Praise: Performing a difficult task well to gain appreciation and recognition from others at work or in society.
• Offers and Discounts: Using store loyalty cards to earn points, discounts, or free gifts at shops.
• Rewards for Children: Getting work done from children by promising to give them their favorite toy or snacks for doing a good deed.
• Income: Continuing to do a job even if it is disliked or boring, simply for the 'paycheck' received at the end of the month.
• Travel Perks: Using specific credit cards to earn free airline miles.
Escaping Punishment Is Also Motivation!
We often think that only rewards and gifts count as extrinsic motivation. However, the actions we take to escape a punishment or a negative consequence also fall under extrinsic motivation.
For example, if we follow a rule out of fear that others in society might mock us or that we might have to pay a legal fine, that 'fear' or 'avoiding punishment' acts as the extrinsic motivation there. (4)
Key Takeaways
Here are the key summaries we have learned from this article:
• Extrinsic motivation is not created by a person's own desire alone; rather, it is driven purely by external rewards such as money, praise, recognition, or gifts.
• When a person initially lacks interest in a specific task or subject, using extrinsic motivation is the best way to get them to act.
• When a person is already doing a task because they enjoy and love it (intrinsic motivation), they should not be given excessive external rewards. Doing so will gradually reduce their intrinsic interest (overjustification effect). (5,6,7,8)
1. Journal Article (Lepper et al., 1973)
Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973).
Undermining children's intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward: A test of the
"overjustification" hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 28(1), 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035519
2. Edited Book (Lepper & Greene, 1978)
Lepper, M. R., & Greene, D. (Eds.). (1978). The
hidden costs of reward: New perspectives on the psychology of human motivation.
Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315666983
3. Online Dictionary Entry (APA Dictionary of Psychology)
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Operant
conditioning. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/operant-conditioning
4. Journal Article (Surgical Neurology International)
Surgical Neurology International. https://doi.org/10.4103/2152-7806.179231
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