Motivation
🏷️ Tào lao
A: What is motivation?
B: Motivation is the desire and impetus to initiate and maintain a particular behavior. It is the energy that drives you to do something.
A: How many categories of motivation are there?
B: There are 2 categories of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.
A: Could you explain what intrinsic motivation is?
B: Intrinsic motivation is involved when you experience an activity that you feel right in the moment. You find it meaningful, interesting, and satisfying.
A: What about extrinsic motivation?
B: Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, refers to pursuing a task to receive some sort of rewards like praise, power, or money. These rewards could also be receiving a bonus at the end of the quarter or winning a competition after months of training.
A: Is extrinsic motivation better than intrinsic motivation?
B: No. Extrinsic motivation like getting paid may seem appealing. Their effectiveness can be short-lived. You should focus on building intrinsic motivations. It will keep you engaged in the long run.
A: If I do day-to-day actions, which motivation should I depend on?
B: Day-to-day actions are rarely exclusively intrinsic or extrinsic motivated. For example, studying for a history exam can be intrinsically motivated if you are curious about the culture of ancient Egypt. But, extrinsic could be at play as you aim to get a good grade or feel pressure from family members to do well in school.
A: If I already have an intrinsic drive to do something, could I have additional extrinsic motivators?
B: No. It will make you confused. Psychologists also call this phenomenon, “the overjustification effect.”
A: But if I do not have any intrinsic motivation to get started doing an important task, like studying for the exam tomorrow, what can I do to overcome it?
B: When you are faced with a tedious or uninteresting activity, adding an extrinsic reward can be beneficial. But intrinsic motivation is still better. You can ask a friend to join you or put on your favorite playlist. It may give you the boost to get started.