Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivations
Intrinsic motivation comes from within and extrinsic motivation comes from outside. Both types of motivation can change our actions and push us to reach our goals. The cause of motivation is the main difference between internal and external drive.
Intrinsic motivation comes from inside a person and is driven by things like personal hobbies, happiness, or the satisfaction of reaching a goal. Some examples of internal motivators are the desire to learn new things, the enjoyment of a job, or the feeling of success after finishing a hard project.
On the other hand, extrinsic drive comes from outside sources like awards, punishments, or social praise. Extrinsic motivators are things like money, grades, gifts, or compliments from other people.
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can both get people to do things, but study has shown that intrinsic motivation is more likely to last than extrinsic motivation. When people are internally motivated, they are more likely to stick with a job, keep going even when it gets hard, and get better results than when they are only driven by things outside of themselves.
In short, intrinsic motivation is driven by things like personal hobbies, happiness, and the pleasure of reaching a goal. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is driven by things like awards, punishments, or social praise that come from the outside. Both types of motivation can get people to act, but internal motivation tends to last longer and keep people going.