Extrinsic motivation occurs when a person is driven to undertake an action or participate in a task to receive a prize or escape prosecution. Intrinsic motivation occurs when a person partakes in action as it is pleasurable to her (Locke & Schattke, 2019). A person is doing something to do it instead of for some external incentive. The most fundamental difference between them lies in the motive of doing things because it is intrinsically impressive and pleasant or because it results in a separate and distinct output. They are similar in that both urge a person to take on some particular activity.
First, my life’s examples of intrinsic motivation would involve activities like yoga and solving puzzles. I do yoga every day because I take pleasure during and after the process. I enjoy solving puzzles since it distracts me from all the bustles in life and relaxes my mind. Regarding extrinsic motivation, I must go to work to pay bills and take care of my children and daily expenses. Moreover, sometimes I volunteer at events because I believe such experience would make my resume look more promising than other candidates’, which increases my chances of getting employed if I want to change my job.
Since I have several crucial roles as a mother, full-time employee, and student, I find intrinsic motivation more critical in my daily activities. I am far more prone to perform successfully when I am full of a higher sense of objective and when I genuinely wish for something. For instance, at work, even after achieving the formal benchmark, I may continue putting effort into reaching a masterpiece until my job is completed merely flawless. Carrying multiple roles but at the same time lacking an inner motivation would quickly lead me to burnout. Therefore, even though I respect intrinsic and extrinsic motivations equally, I realize that the former is needed more than the latter.
Reference
Locke, E. A., & Schattke, K. (2019). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Time for expansion and clarification. Motivation Science, 5(4), 277–290.