PSYC 471 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Edward L. Deci, Motivation, The Need

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 471
• Professor: Richard Koestner

Document Summary

Any occurrence that undermines people"s feeling of autonomy and leaves them feeling controlled should decrease their intrinsic motivation and is likely to have negative consequences. Another motivator other than reward which is also controlling is threat. It is meant to motivate people through their desire to avoid punishment. Deadlines, imposed goals, surveillance, and evaluations also undermine intrinsic motivation. Competition may also work the same way: competition could focus on winning rather than the activity itself. It also creates a pressure pushing people to win so it undermine intrinsic motivation. The problem is, all the events that undermine intrinsic motivation are events that most people encounter regularly in their daily lives. An overemphasis on control and discipline represents a demeaning depiction of human experience and its primary function is to allow people to exert power over others. Providing choice is a central feature in supporting one"s autonomy.