Avast! Is this a map to the greatest treasure of all? Aye, it is! A map for motivation.
Well, it is actually a conceptual map to deconstruct motivation in two different dimensions providing some insight into different kinds of motivations. Understand better how your motivation works applying your own experiences into the map.
Well, it is actually a conceptual map to deconstruct motivation in two different dimensions providing some insight into different kinds of motivations. Understand better how your motivation works applying your own experiences into the map.
For the context of this map I use the following definitions:
Intrinsic - Extrinsic: Have a value for its own sake because it is interesting and satisfying in itself versus receiving some kind of reward that is external to the process or activity.
Internal - External: Coming from by yourself versus imposed by external factors.
Intrinsic - Extrinsic: Have a value for its own sake because it is interesting and satisfying in itself versus receiving some kind of reward that is external to the process or activity.
Internal - External: Coming from by yourself versus imposed by external factors.
The positions are based on my aproximations and they are intended just to provide a starting point for reflexion.
The highest level of intrinsic motivation is known as flow. Flow is typified by complete immersion in an activity to the point that nothing else seems to matter. Hungarian psychologist Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has led much of the work in this exciting area. During flow, you lose self-consciousness and become one with the activity.
One example of how relativistic this values can be: I see survival as an intrinsic motivation because the reward of surviving is survival itself! But even it could be sort of extrinsic is someone wants to survive just to be able to sacrifice himself for another. And I positioned it in the middle of being internal and external because even when the instinct to survive is something internal to each person, there is a external pressure from physics and biology that force you to think about surviving. Everything is relative and you should consider your own context when thinking about it.
There may be others values as well, such as love, bragging, vengeance, etc. There is even a theory which states that there are 16 basic desires that motivate our actions and define our personalities.
All extrinsic motivations emanate from intrinsic motivations. The degrees at which we measure them make them appear as being intrinsic or extrinsic. At the end of the day all actions and behaviors are intrinsically motivated.
If you go deep enough asking what is your real motivation behind X, then you are supossed to reach the intrinsic motivation driving it. Here are some possible examples, but the posible relations are endless and unique to each person.
Some other interesting paths:
- You have pressure from your family to do something. You are motived to do it because you want to be accepted within the family values, which in the end define who you are (self-actualization).
- You want to win a competition because the team has worked very hard and deserves it (altruism).
- A "bad" path: Working just for the money, which has a very low intrinsic value.
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