Nature vs Nurture? How about Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation?

When understanding human behavior, the debate about nature vs nurture has been around for a long time.

The definition of nature: by nature, as a result of inborn or inherent qualities; innately.


The definition of nurture: the sum of environmental influences and conditions acting on an organism.


The earliest philosophers, and the psychologists that followed, have talked about human behavior in relation to how one's nature is relevant and/or more influential than one's nurture (environment); and vice versa. We still debate this today, but this will not be the topic of this post. The topic of this post is far more important to humans and the technology that enables us.

As a species, here on earth, there shall be a greater debate to be had. In time we evolve as a species. We are rapidly changing as a species; especially our behavior. Nevertheless, we are still an animal, a living thing that interacts with the biotic and abiotic factors found in its environment. Above and beyond these important factors, we will soon have a catastrophic phenomenon called "Intrinsic" versus "Extrinsic" source of motivation of our species.


The definition of intrinsic: belonging to a thing by its very nature.




The definition of extrinsic: being outside a thing; outward or external; operating or coming from without: extrinsic influences.


Believe it or not, there was a time when Homo sapiens were not extrinsically rewarded for "doing the right thing" or for doing what they were supposed to do. The prefrontal lobes in our brains maintain the intrinsic motivation that we have and which is developed over time. It is this archaic characteristic of internal responses and self rewarding behavior that is evolving. Evolving at a rapid pace.

As a social organism, Homo sapiens are evolving from an intrinsically motivated species to an extrinsically motivated species. Can you picture a cave man or cave woman gathering food or killing an animal with the thoughts that he or she would get an external reward for providing for himself or family? What about a female homo sapiens from about 5,000 years ago thinking that if she holds her offspring to keep it safe and warm, she will get some social reward?

Let's take it one step further since we are animals. Have you ever seen an animal such as a lion or wolf hunting its prey to provide food for its pride or pack and then it comes back and a member gives it a ribbon or sticker?

As a member of this species, I see how we are overly extrinsically motivated as a whole to "do the right thing." What's in it for me? Do I get a bonus? Do I get a sticker?

As a teacher, I see first hand how, overall, students are extrinsically motivated to learn. Often there is a, "What is in it for me?" attitude. What about the fact that you are learning and bettering yourself?

Where and when was this lost? Why is it that there is such an emphasis on external rewards?

Where will this evolving characteristic lead us? What kind of interactive species will we become?




~Looking for a wedding dj in Newport RI? Dj Valentina has years of experience and is well qualified. Check out her site here: RI wedding Dj. She is highly motivated!

What can we do as progressive thinkers, as parents, as educators to change this?

Challenging Students to Think for Themselves

Throughout any given school day, many students in my class ask questions that they could positively answer for themselves. It is apparent that many of them have always had others answer these kinds of questions right away without even giving the individual an opportunity to think for themselves. When my students ask me a question, I tell them to stop and evaluate what they are asking me. Then I ask them their question or a closely related one. They usually smile and answer their own questions. This encourages them to think on their own. I also let them know that since they can usually figure out the answer on their own, they are not giving themselves credit by asking someone else. They discount their ability to be a problem solver.

Every time I hear a student say, "That was easy," I correct them by suggesting that instead of saying "That was easy," they need to say "I am good at this/that." This encourages them to give themselves credit for being good at something instead of minimizing their ability. Also, when they say something is easy, they could discount someone else in the class because maybe other students are not good at it. Therefore, if they hear someone else say that was easy, then they will feel bad about themselves because if it is easy, why can't they do it? Even though we have only been in school for about 4 weeks, students are now encouraging other students to say, "I am good at this." This is nice to hear.

"Use your problem solving skills," is something I say often. Being accountable for their own learning is another topic for discussion in my class. When students are accountable for their own learning, they are encouraged to ask questions when they don't understand a new concept or idea. One of my mottos is to "Ask questions if you don't understand something." Motivating my students to also advocate for themselves is something else I try to do in my class. They should learn how to advocate for themselves to get the most out of their education.

With the internet, enabling parents, and a generation of people that rely on a quick answer, we must nurture a learning environment that indirectly forces students to think for themselves to maximize learning on an individual basis.

We need to foster a learning environment where our students "OWN IT." They need to internally own what they are learning, thinking, doing. It can't be the teachers, but the students must own whatever it is for true meaningful learning to occur. The way to do this is to force them to answer their own questions, stop allowing them to be day dreaming in the classroom about what they might be doing in the future or what they could be doing, and force them to acutally believe that they can do whatever it is. Now or in the future.