Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

Update: 2021-12-23

Description

Rewards and Punishments vs Enjoyment
Practice Guitar vs Play Guitar
Needs vs Overflow
Want to avoid a bad outcome vs enjoyment of the activity
Meaningful sacrifice vs “It’s no sacrifice, it’s a joy!”
Threatens holistic life balance vs promotes holistic life balance
Draining vs Replenishing
Adrenaline fueled vs Calm Resilience
Push vs Pull
Love for the outcome vs Love for the process, presence, and outcome
Need vs Overflow
Extrinsic helps LEAD TO a right heart vs Intrinsic IS a right heart
Rewards from God vs God AS the reward
Promise of Heaven threat of hell vs “as for me, it is good to be near God”
Shotgun weddings to Jesus vs “One thing I ask — see your beauty, dwell in your temple”
In my formative years I experienced extrinsic threats without intrinsic pleasures and it provoked a very adverse reaction to Christianity!
You can’t force someone to fall in love. But you can give em’ a little push in the right direction.
Leading a horse to water doesn’t guarantee they’ll drink but it sure gives them a better chance to drink than leading them to the desert!
Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are biblical. Both are valid. Wise parents and teachers use both selectively.
Extrinsic motivators are helpful when passion is lacking.
Extrinsic motivators are unhelpful when they turn the joy into obligation.
At the heart of true biblical faith is ENJOYING GOD.