Ch. 8: Four Categories of Motivation
This blog post discusses four categories of motivational techniques and examples of each.
The more I delve into leadership the more parallels that I am noticing with my graduate counseling education from over a decade ago. This week's topic is no different, as we are discussing motivational techniques in the form of both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. The text expounds on four categories, including the following: positive extrinsic, positive intrinsic, negative intrinsic, and negative extrinsic (Daft, 2018).
Intrinsic rewards come in the form of internal satisfaction, meaning, or enjoyment from doing a certain act or behavior. Extrinsic rewards come in the form of external praise or awards for certain deeds or jobs done. Both of these types of rewards are considered positive. From a personal standpoint, the most motivating positive intrinsic rewards for me include working towards and completing goals or the sense of accomplishment that often comes with it. I am also motivated by curiosity and growth. The most motivating positive extrinsic rewards, for me, include praise and acknowledgment. I am also sometimes driven by numbers and bling. As an example of the latter, I am a runner and always like to work towards improving my own times, but also enjoy the satisfaction of earning a medal in certain races.
However, not all motivation is positive. Sometimes it's the fear or avoidance of certain things that are the most motivating. Negative intrinsic motivation, for me, can include trying to avoid stress and anxiety by completing assignments early. I find avoiding procrastination to be an excellent negative intrinsic motivation. I am also motivated, at times, by self-doubt. When those negative self-thoughts come into my head, I often find the best way to overcome them is to prove them wrong. Negative extrinsic motivation can also do the trick, for some more than others. For me personally, just the idea of an external punishment was enough to prevent me from going through with a behavior that could have detrimental consequences or ramifications. I learned from the examples of others and when I saw or heard something awful happen as a result of an individual's actions, I would internalize the lesson and not do the behavior. For many, this type of motivation is not enough and they often times have to tempt fate and suffer the consequences themselves, sometimes repeatedly, before they grasp the lesson.
Personally, I have never been fond of the idea of jail or severe consequences, with both of those being good examples of negative extrinsic motivators. Additionally, the anxiety I feel building up inside at even the possibility is a negative intrinsic motivator. While I may prefer the positive intrinsic and extrinsic rewards stated above, the negative motivators can be just as effective.
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