

It should be noted, however, that too much of one or the other might actually be a bad thing.

In fact, if you learn how to balance the two together, you can become both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated, supercharging your life in the direction of your goals and desires.

This makes these two types of motivation seem diametrically opposed, although this isn’t true. For this reason, I believe that intrinsic motivation is more sustainable than extrinsic motivation because your motivational driver is within your control, while extrinsic motivation typically relies on factors outside your direct control. The main difference between the two types of motivation is that extrinsic motivation comes from outside forces or drivers, while intrinsic motivation comes from within yourself – i.e., self-motivation. The Difference Between Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation Using the other example, volunteering at a soup kitchen because you want to impress someone is an external motivator even if you’re helping someone in the process. For example, if you’re motivated to get a promotion because of the exected salary increase, this is an act of extrinsic motivation. Example of Extrinsic MotivationĮxtrinsic motivation focuses on external reward systems. Extrinsic motivation relies on outside factors to incentivize you to in order to achieve a goal or engage in a task or habit, making it potentially less sustainable than intrinsic motivation because it’s outside your direct control. What is Extrinsic Motivation?Įxtrinsic motivation represents motivational drivers that focus on external rewards, like getting a raise or avoiding punishment. Using another example, if you volunteer at a soup kitchen because it makes you feel good, then it’s intrinsic motivation, too, even though it’s affecting people outside of yourself. For example, if you want a promotion, not because of the salary but because you’re excited to learn new things and take on more responsibility, this is an act of intrinsic motivation. Typically, the action or achievement of the goal itself is the motivating factor rather than the reward at the end. People who are motivated intrinsically engage in an action or set out to achieve a goal because it is internally satisfying or rewarding. Intrinsic motivation represents all motivational drivers that focus on internal rewards. However, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be used together to achieve an optimal balance of motivating factors. Intrinsic motivation focuses on internal rewards and drivers like the joy of learning while extrinsic motivation is comprised of external drivers like an incentive or reward. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are the two main types of motivation.
