Motivation is the fire that drives human behavior, empowering people to complete tasks, meet goals and be at their best. There is internal motivation, which is when a goal is driven due to an internal desire or need for fulfillment; however, there is another major type of motivation, which is external motivation. This type of motivation is called extrinsic motivation based on external rewards or pressures, like money, praise, or avoiding something unpleasant.
What Is Extrinsic Motivation?
Extrinsic motivation is when they do not find joy in activities or tasks but respond to external rewards. These rewards can be concrete incentives such as financial compensation or intangible rewards such as recognition and appreciation. On the flip side, the use of external force, like fear of punishment or failure, can also have a significant impact in helping to motivate people to take action.
Extrinsic motivation is the opposite of intrinsic motivation, where someone gets motivated by their personal development, excelling in what they do, and loving what they do. For instance, a person might be a runner out of necessity, they have to lose weight, or because they enjoy running, but someone else may be a runner on the basis of race, winning and money.
Forms of External Rewards
1. Money
One of the most prevalent external motivators in the work-place, and beyond, is money. People are paid for what they do in terms of money they make regardless of the results achieved. It’s pretty simple: people takings jobs to earn money so that these people can take care of themselves and their loved ones, enjoy better quality of life, save for retirement.
However, in many work environments, money then extrinsically motivates workers both inside and outside the office to deliver top performance by providing specific profit incentives to achieve standards or raise contributions above normal. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that money isn’t always a long-lasting motivator. Once people obtain the financial security they need, money may no longer provide sufficient motivation or fulfillment at work.
2. Praise and Recognition
Praise and affirmation, for example, are powerful motivators in many contexts, especially schools, workplaces and homes. Encouraging Excellence One way is through positive reinforcement. Acknowledging that achievement or even just recognition in front of others still lends more validation, and a boost to push a bit harder.
So, when you are complimenting performance (staring at doing) you are rewarding someone in a way that leads to positive reinforcement; you are also sending a message that particular effort is worthwhile. For instance, in the educational context, a praise from a teacher will make a student to be self-assured and give a studious effort. But praise is situation-dependent when it comes to its effectiveness. As they become conditioned to reaching for outside recognition, such responses may lose their effect, and they may find they need to pull something bigger or more outrageous out of the bag to produce the same impact.
3. Avoiding Punishment
Even extrinsic motivation can also be formed, like not wanting to feel pain or receive punishment, embarrassment, reproach, etc. This kind of motivation is usually molded in one of the punitive settings related to an action or non-action of a person. For example, workers could try their utmost to avoid being scolded by their bosses or facing possible job loss. Like when students studying hard to avoid failing a class.
What may get people to meet deadlines, follow rules and deliver within specified parameters is fear of punishment, but this type of incentive is typically temporary and can lead to stress, anxiety and burnout. Sure, fear of punishment can drive you in the short term, but it’s never a recipe for long term engagement or satisfaction. People who are motivated by avoiding bad things produce less wellbeing and fulfillment.
How External Motivation Truly Affects Us
Although external motivators and pressures can be powerful, they aren’t always enough to sustain motivation or lead to personal mastery. Teaching related factors that are presumed to lead to the decline of the students’ intrinsic motivation (such as excessive use of extrinsic motivators) have been a concern for researchers and teacher practitioners, who argue that the overjustification phenomenon can lead to a decrease of intrinsic motivation (Deci et al., 1999).For example, the classic case would be that if you love to paint, you love to paint, but if you put a reward (money, praise) in front of that, you might just not want to do it for fun anymore. But a reward from outside can kill that enjoyment because it shifts the emphasis away from how to find satisfaction in doing something.
In addition, out of the extreme external reward, extrinsic motivation may also create unwanted competition and breaking of social norms by comparing individuals and groups in an unhealthy manner. In hostile contexts, the pressure to perform for external incentives can create stress and burnout and cause individuals to become results-oriented — focusing on output over process, people and well-being.
Finding a Balance Between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
The best and sustainable motivation is usually a mix between the two; intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. While recognition may offer initial motivation, intrinsic factors— personal interest, passion, and sense of purpose—drives long term and much more gratifying engagement.
To achieve this balance, both individuals and organizations can create spaces in which intrinsic and extrinsic motivation support one another. For example, companies can offer attractive salaries and bonus potential but combine this with opportunities for personal development, skill acquisition and meaningful activities. The same applies to students, who can be motivated to maximize their interests, and external acclaims for their successes.
Conclusion
External rewards—money, praise, and the avoidance of punishment—drive behavior and motivate people to accomplish certain things. And while these external motivators can be powerful catalysts for action, they have limits and costs. In the end, it is a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic engagement that will provide more meaningful, sustainable engagement — as well as greater satisfaction.
