Rewards-such as a job promotion, money, a sticker, or candy-are good examples of extrinsic motivators. The extrinsic motivator is outside of, and acts on, the individual. Theorists define extrinsic motivation as “engaging in an activity to obtain an outcome that is separable from the activity itself” (deCharms, 1968 Lepper & Greene, 1978). For example, if you are in college because you enjoy learning new things and expanding your knowledge, you are intrinsically motivated to be there.Įxtrinsically motivated behaviors, on the other hand, are performed in order to receive something from others or avoid certain negative outcomes. Intrinsic motivation thus represents engagement in an activity for its own sake. According to Deci (1971), these behaviors are defined as ones for which the reward is the satisfaction of performing the activity itself. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are performed because of the sense of personal satisfaction that they bring.
