4 ms·
The title of the article is a bit misleading. This guy doesn't seem to be saying that intrinsic motivation doesn't exist, just that it isn't quite as simple as
by mparr4 16y ago
The title of the article is a bit misleading. This guy doesn't seem to be saying that intrinsic motivation doesn't exist, just that it isn't quite as simple as an intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy would make it seem, which seems fair enough. However, to make the claim that there are 16 basic desires that motivate people (as this researcher does) is a simplification as well.
Any sort of quantization of the motivating factors in a person's life obviously cannot completely convey the true reality of the situation whether the number of factors is 2 or 16. This sort of quantization is certainly useful in talking about what motivates an individual, but given that it is a model and not reality itself, it's tough to say that one is more right than the other (or any other for that matter).
- dhimes 16y agoHe was skeptical of its existence: “But there is no real evidence that intrinsic motivation even exists.”
- mparr4 16y agoTrue. The entire article provides a context that somewhat weakens that statement though--as I read it anyway. I was left with the impression that he thought it was more of an oversimplification than a fabrication. Though it's tough to argue against a quote that spells things out as explicitly as you have!