There are three types of motivation: biological, extrinsic and intrinsic.
Biological motivation comprises all the biological needs a living thing has. This includes, sleeping, eating, drinking etc. These needs naturally need to be met before any learning can take place.
Extrinsic motivation is a much more complicated part of learning. Here, external rewards, often contingent and tangible, are used to motivate a learner. For example, saying ‘If you do your homework, I’ll give you a toy.’ is a classic if-then scenario. The problem with this type of motivation is it acknowledges that the task is undesirable. It also creates a clear start and end to the task. When trying to develop good habits, this can be extremely harmful. And most dangerously, it takes autonomy away from the learner. Autonomy is the ability to control the choices in your life.
This leads us onto the third type of motivation: intrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from within. It is the driving force that powers lifelong learning. It is essential to reaching states of flow, deep learning and creativity. Interestingly, autonomy, the feeling of having control over your learning, is a key ingredient for intrinsic motivation. And extrinsic motivation can actually harm it. Paying someone to learn (or do a job), can actually lower their desire to perform well. It can also narrow their focus onto the reward and lower creativity. Intrinsic motivation allows the task to remain the goal, and the joy comes from the challenge and completion of the task itself. It is a natural state, if nurtured properly.
