Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: Discover What Drives You

The key difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation lies in their source: intrinsic motivation comes from within yourself, whereas extrinsic motivation is tied to external incentives, such as praise. Learning about these two types of motivation can facilitate your personal growth by helping you identify what drives you and how to set yourself up for long-term fulfillment.

In this article, we’ll compare intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, explain when and how to use each for maximum impact, and explore the link between Enneagram personality types and motivation. Let’s begin!

What Is Intrinsic Motivation?

Intrinsic motivation is the drive that prompts people to perform activities for internal rewards, such as personal growth, satisfaction, interest, and enjoyment. It happens when you find the activity itself rewarding or meaningful instead of trying to earn or avoid something. Because it comes from within, this type of motivation is also known as internal motivation.

Some examples of intrinsic motivation include:

• Creating music for self-expression
• Researching a topic out of pure curiosity
• Reading a book because the story intrigues you
• Practicing yoga because it makes you feel grounded
• Volunteering because helping people brings you a sense of purpose

Intrinsic motivation comes with numerous benefits, including:

• Creativity. There’s a link between creativity and intrinsic motivation, as it propels people to experiment and seek innovative solutions to problems.
• Resilience. Intrinsic motivation drives people to keep pushing through challenging tasks, even without external rewards.
• Sense of fulfillment. This type of motivation fosters personal satisfaction and fulfillment because it prompts people to engage in activities because they want to, rather than have to. Unsurprisingly, Yonsei University researchers found that intrinsic motivation is substantively associated with employee satisfaction.
• Sustained engagement. It fuels people’s interest, making it easier to focus and stay engaged, which can also boost productivity and performance.

What Is Extrinsic Motivation?

Extrinsic motivation is the drive to perform activities to earn external rewards or avoid punishment. Because it comes from outside yourself, it is also known as external motivation. Some external rewards that may fuel this type of motivation include other people’s approval, money, promotions, praise, and fame.

Below are some examples of extrinsic motivation that can help you better understand the difference between internal vs. external motivation:

• Making music to become famous
• Researching a topic to impress a friend
• Reading a book because it’s required for school
• Practicing yoga to fit in with an athletic friend group
• Volunteering to make your resume more impressive

Extrinsic motivation can be effective for short-term goals, as external incentives may boost your performance and efficiency. However, over time, it can make you dependent on rewards, such as validation, instead of cultivating a deeper sense of personal fulfillment. Additionally, it creates pressure, hindering creative thinking and increasing the risk of stress and burnout.

With this in mind, let’s compare intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: Key Differences

The key difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is the source of motivation and satisfaction. Intrinsic motivation is deeply internal and stems from the task itself; we feel motivated to perform it simply because it brings us joy and fulfillment. Because it is self-driven, intrinsic motivation doesn’t depend on external rewards, making it easy to maintain.

By contrast, extrinsic motivation is external. It stems from rewards and cannot be maintained without them; once the external incentive is removed, you’ll no longer feel motivated to perform the task. So, while this type of motivation can help you achieve short-term goals, it isn’t sustainable.

Below is a table summarizing the key differences between intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation:

Enneagram and Motivation: How Personality Affects Your Drive

When it comes to the Enneagram and motivation, it’s critical to understand that all personality types use a mix of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. However, some rely more on one than the other, and their core drives differ significantly, shaping their behavior and decision-making process.

Here’s what motivates each Enneagram type:

Enneagram 1

The Enneagram Type 1typically draws motivation from within. Striving to live with integrity, they’re driven by the desire to act correctly and uphold high moral standards. Although they value their internal standards more than external validation, they can also be motivated extrinsically, especially through praise centered around their conscientious and ethical nature.

Enneagram 2

Twos crave love and acceptance, so they usually prioritize extrinsic over intrinsic motivation. For them, intrinsic one comes in the form of altruism; these individuals genuinely want to nurture and support others.

Still, they don’t want their efforts to go unnoticed (even though they don’t like to admit it!), which is why they often grow resentful when others take them for granted.

Enneagram 3

This type primarily relies on extrinsic motivation, seeking success, recognition, and admiration.

Although external incentives inspire Threes to pursue and achieve their goals, the key to lasting fulfillment for this personality type lies in tapping into their intrinsic motivation. This way, they can shift their focus from image to authenticity, leading to a more meaningful life.

Enneagram 4

The highly individualistic Enneagram Type 4 typically leans more heavily toward intrinsic motivation.

Fours are mainly motivated by authentic self-expression and personal meaning, which they seek to find or create in all areas of their lives. Nonetheless, they’re no strangers to extrinsic motivation, as they crave recognition for their uniqueness, creativity, and emotional depth.

Enneagram 5

The private, analytical, and independent Enneagram Type 5 is among the most intrinsically motivated types. Fives strive for competence and pursue knowledge for its own sake rather than to impress others. But even though external validation means little to them, they appreciate it when others recognize and respect them for their competence.

Enneagram 6

Sixes usually uses a blend of both types of motivations. Although they are intrinsically motivated by the desire for safety and security, they frequently struggle with anxiety and self-doubt. As such, they often need external validation, such as guidance or reassurance from leaders.

Enneagram 7

The Enneagram Type 7mostly leans toward intrinsic motivation; joy, freedom, positive emotions, and exploration fuel Sevens like nothing else. Still, they enjoy when others recognize them for their positivity and can be motivated by external incentives, such as travel opportunities.

Enneagram 8

Enneagram Eights are confident and highly independent, so it’s no surprise that intrinsic motivation (inner strength, autonomy, etc.) matters more to this type than other people’s opinions or extrinsic rewards. Nonetheless, some external incentives, such as social influence, control, or recognition of their leadership, may resonate with them.

Enneagram 9

This type seeks inner and outer peace, so it often draws on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. However, Nines are very accommodating, and because they usually prioritize harmony and other people’s comfort, it’s not uncommon for them to lose touch with their own drives and desires.

When to Use Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation have different uses. Although internal motivation may seem more desirable because it helps sustain engagement and achieve personal satisfaction, it has one major limitation: it doesn’t work for all tasks. In particular, you may not feel intrinsically motivated to engage in activities you find boring or stressful.

For this reason, it’s best to use extrinsic motivation for tedious, repetitive tasks, as external incentives can boost your drive and short-term focus to get them done. Furthermore, this type of motivation works well for tasks with strict deadlines, such as submitting an assignment on time.

On the other hand, if you rely solely on intrinsic motivation for such tasks, you may struggle to perform and complete them. After all, many people struggle with procrastination when a task is uninteresting.

That said, intrinsic motivation works best for tasks that require creativity, autonomy, and long-term engagement. This type of motivation is most effective for self-directed activities revolving around personal growth, hobbies, and skill mastery because it helps build persistence and sustained effort.

However, relying on extrinsic motivation for self-directed tasks isn’t sustainable, as once external rewards or pressures are removed, you’ll likely lose interest.

Ultimately, extrinsic motivation works best for short-term goals. Meanwhile, to achieve long-term goals, it’s best to foster intrinsic motivation, as it drives lasting commitment and doesn’t depend on external incentives.

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Key Takeaways

Now that we’ve thoroughly compared intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, it’s time to summarize what we’ve learned:

• Intrinsic motivation comes from internal rewards, such as personal satisfaction, whereas extrinsic motivation stems from external rewards like fame or validation.
• Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are important, as they have different use cases; the former is best for self-directed activities that require long-term engagement, while the latter works well for tasks that are uninteresting or have strict deadlines.
• All Enneagram types use both types of motivation, but Types 2 and 3 tend to be more extrinsically motivated than others.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation FAQ

#1. What is an example of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in school?

An example of intrinsic motivation in school is participating in a science project out of curiosity, whereas an example of extrinsic motivation is doing so to win a prize or get a good grade. Another example is joining a sports club because you find physical activity enjoyable (intrinsic) or because you want to enhance your college application (extrinsic).

#2. How do intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affect career success?

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affect career success in different ways: the former is critical for long-term engagement, whereas the latter boosts short-term performance. As such, both are essential for building a successful and fulfilling career.

#3. What is the overjustification effect?

The overjustification effect is a phenomenon in which external rewards, such as money, diminish intrinsic motivation. It usually occurs when people shift their focus from the inherent enjoyment of the activity to external incentives, thereby becoming less passionate about it.