That thread also blew my mind a bit. I do ask the question when I want something. "Why do I want this ?". Something that drew my attention to this phenomenon i

That thread also blew my mind a bit. I do ask the question when I want something. "Why do I want this ?". Something that drew my attention to this phenomenon is all the ridiculous Hollywood movie scripts. It's always an unpopular teenager who'll then gain superpowers and impress people in his high-school, and everyone will ooh and aaah and take pictures and videos of him doing something 'cool', and the proverbial girl becoming impressed. It's the guy swallowing a pill and magically becoming fluent in several languages and masterfully play instruments to the audience's awe and women's lust. I find there is such an emptiness that makes me almost certain those who write these either are virgins, or write them for virgins. Either way, it is sad. I also see it in interests (language learning, writing, book reading, singing, writing, film making, and music) in the circles I frequent made of people in these fields, and it is accurate down to the speech patterns sometimes. Sometimes, however, I think that this intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy has its limits. You may start learning something or wanting something because of, or thanks to, someone else. It is extrinsic, but is it ? It is by definition. Can something you're not aware of be intrinsic. People you frequent expose you to different tastes and passions and fields and horizons. You may have started programming extrinsically because someone you respect did it, and it unlocks an intrinsic desire. Because of or thanks to depends on what you make of it.