Intrinsic and extrinsic motives are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, an employee may pursue his/her work both for the enjoyment of the work and the desire for appropriate pay, success and power. Many actions are therefore performed by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motives.
Motivation: intrinsic or extrinsic
For many, extrinsic incentives play a role in motivation. For example, employees are usually given monetary rewards in an attempt to motivate them to behave in a certain way. In contrast, there is intrinsic motivation. It arises from an inner drive and is considered the most important and most intensive form of motivation. We share Steven Reiss' view that a person cannot be extrinsically motivated -which does not mean that they do not respond to external incentives. We believe that there are only intrinsic motives and, consequently, intrinsic responses to external incentives (rewards or punishments).
„Intrinsic motives (life motives) have two characteristics: What is desired is the universal in human motivation. However, how much of it is desired is the specific of human motivation. We all want the same things, but not to the same extent. Each of us has the same 16 life motives, but we prioritize them differently. How an individual prioritizes the 16 life motives reveals their personality traits and core values.“ - Steven Reiss
Of course, there are numerous studies that show us that we respond to extrinsic incentives -such as financial incentives. But there are just as many studies that show that people respond to them only in particular ways and in limited ways.
Intrinsic motivation is characterized above all by the fact that we enjoy a task. We therefore pursue an activitybecause we enjoy it. We do not need a reward or confirmation for this to motivate us. The behavior itself is reward enough without having to be directed toward a rational purpose. The work we have started, with which we pursue a certain goal, is maintained even if we do not receive extrinsic motivation or want to escape punishment.
Comparison: extrinsic and intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation is an inner motivation -we then learn and act out of an inner driving force. If you are intrinsically motivated, then you also manage big tasks and even have a good mood, because it is fun for you and you draw a personal satisfaction from achieving something of your own accord -for example at work.
Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic comes from the Latin "intrinsecus" and means as much as within or inward. Intrinsic motivation is therefore behavior that is based on an inner drive. Unlike extrinsic motivation, it does not need an external reward to have its effect. Intrinsic motivation moves us to work on tasks, tackle challenges, or act because it is done for its own sake.
Intrinsic motivation is responsible for the fact that we approach something with full passion -be it a hobby, a sport or a subject area that interests us. Someone who is intrinsically motivated engages in an activity because they find it interesting, fundamentally enjoy it, or find it particularly meaningful.
Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic comes from the Latin "extrinsecus" and means as much as from outside. Extrinsic motivation is therefore behavior that is brought about by external incentives. We thus do something not because it satisfies us personally, but because we receive something in return. This can be financial incentives, rewards, praise, recognition or appreciation, but also the fear of consequences if we do not fulfill a task.
Extrinsic motivation makes us do things we don't really want to do. But at the end of the month we want the salary, praise from our manager, or to be seen as particularly motivated people.
You have probably experienced both types of motivation in the course of your life. Maybe when you were studying at school -intrinsically you were motivated because you wanted to know more about a subject, extrinsically because you wanted a good grade.
Promote motivation from within
Individuals who have intrinsic motivation have a strong inner driving force. They have a high level of commitment of their own and have the competence to accept even greater hurdles in order to achieve their goal. They perform with pleasure and also see this as an occasion for self-fulfillment.
Intrinsic motivation leads to success in every area - whether at school, at work, or in a partnership. In a professional context, motivated employees are an important basis for economic success. However, companies only have a limited option to influence their employees. Extrinsic rewards or other external incentives usually only have a short-term effect if the basic life motives are not fulfilled at the workplace.
How does intrinsic motivation arise?
Motivation develops from the desire to fulfill our own needs. This desire then manifests itself in concrete motives for action. Well-known models on the subject of motivation include Maslow's pyramid of needs or Herzberg's two-factor theory. Both models are based on a weakness: they assume an implicit view of man, which on the one hand is necessary to examine theories, but on the other hand has always remained one-sided in the cases mentioned. Moreover, scientific tests do not support these models. Thus, in order to obtain an approximately realistic picture of human beings, one must assume a multitude of individual needs that guide action.
A completely new study on the subject of motivation was presented by Steven Reiss in 2000. His book "Who am I" was one of the most cited studies in the Anglo-American world. With his study, Steven Reiss not only presented a completely new contribution to the topic of motivation, but probably revolutionized personality psychology.
What is fundamentally new?
Steven Reiss does not present a new typology with his study, but a personality theory. The life motives are independent of each other, i.e. the presence of one motive is independent of the presence of all other motives. Thus, there is no hierarchy of motives as we have seen in the models of Maslow and Herzberg. This also means that the motives are not subject to a valuation in the sense that there are higher and lower motives. That is, no motive is superior to another or is considered more desirable.
Reiss's contribution provides more than a theory of motivation.
Motives and life motives (Psychological needs)
Let's first look at Steven Reiss' definition of what he believes constitutes a life motive, and therefore differs from the general term motive. Life motives (or 'basic desires') are the driving forcefor the human psyche. They are therefore able to explain a wide range of behaviors that occur. The 16 life motives occur in all people, but people differ in the different priorities they assign to these life motives.
If we know a person's life motive, this also makes it possible to understand and explain other aspects of his personality and behavior, such as his values or the way in which he forms his relationships with others. If we know which life motive for a person is
has a high priority and we now consider the person's individual motive combinations, we can anticipate a person's behavior with statistically relevant validity.
Steven Reiss identifies 5 aspects that are relevant in distinguishing motive from life motive. While a motive generally includes wishes, desires, aspirations, and psychological needs, the life motive represents a specific type of motive. A life motive is defined by 5 characteristics:
- Universal motivation: Universal motives are relevant for all humans (and animals). Life motives therefore have a genetic basis.
- Psychological needs: Some basic needs must be satisfied for us to survive, such as food. Others must be satisfied for us to find life meaningful, such as curiosity. Satisfying basic needs is only possible temporarily, because after some time they will announce themselves again and have to be satisfied again. If we eat something, we will become hungry again after some time; if we have satisfied our curiosity, we will become interested in something again after some time. This meansthat basic needs cause us to need certain frequencies of the need. Basic needs, then, can only be satisfied for a time before they trigger "appetite" again. Since basic needs can therefore only be satisfied temporarily before they want to be satisfied again, Steven Reiss refers to them as life motives.
- Intrinsic motivation: people try to satisfy a life motive solely because it is exactly what they want. However, different life motives can motivate the same behavior. For example, a person who behaves very orderly may do so because structure and order are important to him (life motive orderliness) or he behaves in a structured and orderly manner to avoid critical feedback from his manager (life motive recognition).
- Intrinsic values: Motives and value conceptsare closely related. We can infer values from intrinsic motives and vice versa. For example, if a person highly values and enjoys his family life, we can infer that he places a high value on his role as a parent and on his children. If a person is strongly intrinsically motivated by honor, he will place a high value on upright character.
- Psychological meaningfulness: some universal motives have no psychological relevance, such as maintaining a constant body temperature (principle of homeostasis) or needingto drink.
In summary, intrinsic motivation goes hand in hand with the joy of the respective action and with interest in the matter. It does not need external stimuli like extrinsic motivation. We are particularly strongly motivated when our tasks match our life motives. For example, someone who has a very low level of the life motive "physical activity" will not find any motivation in sports activity per se. This is different for someone who has this motive strongly pronounced, he will act out of an inner drive, which in itself is incentive enough.