Peter Shr - Week 10 - The Power of Desire

 A double-double, Coca-Cola, recliner chair, air conditioner, computer, and some free time can make me happy. This is my promised land. It’s a lazy environment I want my life to be in. And to reach that “promised land” is a source of stress today, motivating me to work hard now in hopes of improving my chances to sustain that comfortable living. It isn't that noble of a cause, but it is a demonstration of the extent to which rewards incentivize society to run.

Extrinsic motivation is when a person completes a task in hopes of gaining external rewards like money afterward, while intrinsic motivation is when a person completes a task because the activity itself is rewarding. It seems as if intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic motivation and has a moral appeal. Some people volunteer because they genuinely enjoy helping others and do not have desires for personal rewards. In an ideal world, everyone would be powered by this mindset. Would this truly be the best way? In an ideal world, communism would succeed as well. Yet, that train of thought failed even with small communities because no one was incentivized to work. It seems as if out of practicality, the world naturally developed into a competition to accommodate its eight billion members. Everyone has to fight for themselves, earn their positions, and act selfishly out of necessity. Placing such an enormous emphasis on money drives people to act on extrinsic motivations. And it works. The economy is prospering, new technologies are rapidly developing, and an endless supply of services and businesses are appearing.


https://motivelife.home.blog/2019/07/16/intrinsic-motivation-vs-extrinsic-motivation/

School is also a competition. Better American universities provide students with the best professors, resources, and contacts. However, gaining admission is difficult, with high school students laboring to improve their grades, participate in extra-curricular activities, and make sacrifices in an attempt to further their appeal. In most cases, students are extrinsically motivated. The pressure of parents and chances of applying for higher-paying jobs seem to be problems that getting into college solves. People overextend themselves, volunteering and participating in activities that they would not normally do. This exemplifies how extrinsic motivation is incredibly powerful. Imagine if college did not have any of those benefits. How many people would work to the extent that they do to go to college then? There are some, but a significantly smaller number of people, who are intrinsically motivated in this situation. These people like studying and doing their homework purely for the sake of gaining knowledge. Meanwhile, so many of those who were previously extrinsically motivated would not mind seeing their grades drop or ending their extracurriculars (kind of like seniors in their second semester). College would then produce fewer people qualified for jobs or building businesses, and although the world would not crumble, it would progress slower. Whether that is a negative outcome is another discussion. 

Discussing the differences between the motivations: www.simplypsychology.org/differences-between-extrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation.html


Comments

  1. Ayush ChaurasiaFebruary 1, 2024 at 10:03 PM

    Hi Peter! I enjoyed reading this blog post because of its brutal honesty and conversational tone. The introduction was unique and attention-grabbing due to the level of detail that you included in it, and the transition into the main topic of the blog was well-crafted. In the first body paragraph, the way you posed a question and then proceeded to answer it was effective in justifying why modern society uses mostly extrinsic motivation; in addition, in the last paragraph, your explanation of how extrinsic motivation drives students to try their best is very accurate to the student culture at American High. Many students, including myself to a certain extent, pursue their extracurriculars for extrinsic reasons more than for intrinsic reasons. At the end of this blog, you also posed a very interesting question—would the slower progress of humankind be a net benefit? Although you did not share your opinion on the topic, it made me think about the drawbacks of how modern society is driven by extreme levels of extrinsic motivation. Companies are driven solely by profit, and this often results in them creating lower-quality products than if they were truly, intrinsically dedicated to their business. Regardless of this issue, the blog post does address that few people would aspire to learn or reach for greatness if they did not have extrinsic motivations driving them, which means that there is no practical way to shift modern society to be more focused on intrinsic motivations.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aarya PatilFebruary 6, 2024 at 2:52 PM

    Hi Peter! I found your introduction to be intriguing as the use of “promised land” accurately sets the tone for the rest of your blog. The mention of a relaxing environment and the things that contribute to your happiness adds a human touch to the overall blog. The contrast between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is evident and clear, effectively backed up by authentic examples, like volunteering and the need for education. I found your comparison to the “perfect” world and the example of communism to provide a larger context. Furthermore, the analogy between the cutthroat nature of the world and the need for people to fend for their positions is articulated well. I really liked your post as it encouraged me to reflect back on my own motivations and how external rewards may influence my choices. The acknowledgment of how effective extrinsic motivation is in pushing economic well-being was incorporated well. The transition to explaining education seamlessly connects to the overall theme, showcasing how extrinsic motivation is universal in competitive environments like universities. I found the hypothetical scenario of a world where college does not have extrinsic benefits intriguing and prompted me to think about the effects of a scenario. Overall, your blog post effectively addresses the complex nature of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, providing reflective insights into how motivation can shape an individual's behavior. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andrelina HsuFebruary 7, 2024 at 9:36 AM

    Hey Peter! Extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation is such an insightful and relatable topic to learn about. I feel like in an ideal world, there would be the perfect balance of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation that would equally fuel people’s minds and keep society running. In our age, the term “burnout” is often used to describe kids like us who are mentally exhausted and have no motivation to complete tasks anymore. This happens because the person completely loses sight of what they are working towards after working so hard with no reward. Therefore, this evidently stresses the importance of extrinsic rewards while keeping an achievable goal constantly in mind when working. If someone were to adopt a 100% extrinsic mindset, the moment that they are unsuccessful in obtaining that physical reward will be catastrophic since all of their motivation was focused on that tangible item. Nevertheless, if someone were to adopt a 100% intrinsic mindset, it just wouldn’t be possible. In an idealistic, dystopian society, everyone would work for the greater benefit of their communities as a whole instead of their own gain—but that would hinder societal progress as no rewards are there to promote competition and personal growth. I feel like a completely intrinsic mindset is achievable after reaching the zenith of an extrinsic mindset, but would that ever be a possibility in our society? The closest example I can think of are philanthropists, but even the most generous of philanthropists have some sort of personal goal in mind when doing all of their charity work. What are your thoughts on this?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Andrelina Hsu Week 9 - Beyond Muscles

Image
Beyond Muscles      When it comes to sports, power is often associated with physical strength. However, muscles and agility are not the only requirements for a successful athletic career. Power extends beyond sheer physical capabilities, as it includes resilience, determination, and the capability to push through hard times. Take snowboarding as an example; balance, coordination, and muscular endurance are some of the most basic demands required to be good at this sport. Yet, hidden within the heart and mind of a successful snowboarder is the unspoken attribute of perseverance.      Marcus Kleveland , a 24-year-old snowboarder who is arguably one of the best in the world as of today, suffered a detrimental injury during the early stages of his career. As a rookie, Kleveland came into people’s sights during the 2017 Winter X Games in Aspen, when he landed the first ever quad cork in competition history. However, at a practice the following year, Kleveland sustained a major injury to h
Read more

Allison Mao Week 9: What Made Martin Luther King, Jr A Powerful Speaker

Image
Being a persuasive speaker may not always seem as important as being extremely intelligent or physically strong. Nevertheless, many people in history have proven that a silver tongue can do much to persuade, or even manipulate, the people around them.  With the holiday honoring his memory being yesterday, it makes sense to mention Martin Luther King, Jr; his “I Have A Dream” speech is remembered for being excellently persuasive to his cause. I wondered what qualities of his speeches, aside from simply looking at the important topics he covers, make them so memorable.  According to an article by Scott Elbin, six qualities make Martin Luther King, Jr a great speaker. One, he utilizes careful control of his cadence during his speeches, starting many of his speeches with a slow pace before beginning to speak more quickly. This helps draw in the audience’s attention and increase their sense of urgency. Two, King makes good use of context, often mentioning stories from the Old Testament and
Read more

Sampan Mehta Week 13: Haunting Memories of Flight MH370 Ten Years Later

Image
On March 8, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was scheduled for an overnight departure from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The flight took off shortly after midnight, and just shortly after takeoff as the flight reached the end of Malaysian airspace, the pilot said: “Good Night. Malaysia Three Seven Zero.” This was the last spoken communication received from the aircraft and soon after, the plane mysteriously vanished from radar over the South China Sea. What was thought to be a few days of searching for the final location later turned into one of the largest, most expensive searches in human history with thousands of miles of ocean searched with the support of many different countries around the world. Ten years later, on March 8, 2024, there has yet to be any conclusive proof of what really happened on March 8, 2014, and the haunting memory remains.   Onboard flight MH370 were 227 passengers and 12 Malaysian crew members. The flight had passengers from around t
Read more