The drive to engage in an activity purely for its inherent satisfaction
Core Idea: Intrinsic motivation is the desire to perform an action because the activity itself is enjoyable, interesting, or personally satisfying, without requiring external rewards or pressures.
Key Elements
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Defining Characteristics:
- Enjoyment of the process itself, not just outcomes
- Activity would be done even without external rewards
- Often accompanied by a sense of flow or engagement
- Persistence tends to be higher than with extrinsic motivation
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Psychological Components:
- Autonomy: Feeling of choice and self-direction
- Mastery: Desire to improve skills for their own sake
- Purpose: Connection to meaningful values or goals
- Curiosity: Desire to explore and discover
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Right Brain Core Drives That Create It:
- Core Drive 3 - Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback: Enjoyment from creative expression and exploration
- Core Drive 5 - Social Influence & Relatedness: Connection and interaction with others
- Core Drive 7 - Unpredictability & Curiosity: Engagement with the unknown and surprising
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Benefits:
- Leads to higher quality work and learning
- Creates sustainable engagement without burnout
- Associated with greater wellbeing and satisfaction
- Generates more creative and innovative approaches
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Self-Determination Theory (theoretical framework for understanding intrinsic motivation)
- Applications: Flow State Design (designing experiences that foster deep engagement)
- See Also: Extrinsic Motivation (the counterpart focused on external rewards)
References
- Yu-kai Chou, Actionable Gamification
- Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
#motivation #psychology #gamification #self-determination
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