The overjustification impact occurs when individuals expertise much less intrinsic motivation after they’re rewarded for participating in an exercise. In different phrases, rewarding individuals for actions that they already take pleasure in can truly make them lose curiosity in it. For instance, should you take pleasure in portray, you would possibly begin to take pleasure in it much less should you have been rewarded each time you probably did it.
Merely put, if persons are already motivated to interact in an exercise that they discover inherently gratifying, including exterior rewards for that exercise could make the exercise much less intrinsically motivating.
Overjustification Impact Definition
The overjustification impact is a psychological phenomenon wherein exterior rewards, akin to cash or reward, cut back an individual’s intrinsic motivation to interact in an exercise they beforehand loved for its personal sake. This impact happens when the added incentives shift the main focus from private satisfaction to exterior acquire, typically resulting in a decline in curiosity or enjoyment.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are the 2 main types of motivation that assist drive habits. These forces may also help push individuals to interact in sure varieties of behaviors.
Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is the form of motivation that arises from inside. It entails doing issues since you discover them fascinating or just for the sake of doing them.
Examples of intrinsic motivation can embrace pursuing a passion, studying a guide for enjoyable, or taking part in a sport that you just discover thrilling.
The sort of motivation is commonly related to real curiosity, ardour, autonomy, and curiosity. It’s a highly effective motivator that helps individuals really feel a way of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation entails participating in a habits to earn a reward. It’s pushed by exterior incentives that come from exterior the person.
Examples of extrinsic motivation embrace being paid to work, learning arduous to earn good grades, or competing in an athletic occasion to win a prize.
This type of motivation might be efficient for getting individuals to interact in behaviors they haven’t any inherent curiosity in. It may assist maintain consideration when curiosity is low, however it might additionally turn out to be an issue whether it is overused–or whether it is used to overjustify a habits that’s already intrinsically rewarding.
These two varieties of motivation will not be mutually unique. In lots of circumstances, each work collectively to play a job in motivating habits. You would possibly work to earn a paycheck, however you may additionally genuinely love your job and discover it emotionally and intellectually fulfilling.
Analysis on the Overjustification Impact
The primary demonstration of the overjustification impact was carried out within the Seventies by psychologist Edward Deci. In his examine, faculty college students have been tasked with matching a dice puzzle to the configurations on a chunk of paper.
Deci’s Analysis on Overjustification
Whereas the scholars have been initially not given a reward, later classes concerned providing college students a small reward for each puzzle they might efficiently replicate.
Through the third session, not one of the individuals have been rewarded for fixing the puzzles. The researchers discovered that:
- First session: Contributors labored on puzzles for comparable durations of time
- Second session: Rewarded individuals labored longer
- Third session: Rewarded individuals work on puzzles for much less time
The researchers interpreted these outcomes to imply that introducing a reward lowered the inherent motivation to work on the puzzles.
Subsequent experiments carried out by Deci produced comparable outcomes, suggesting that rewarding issues which can be already intrinsically motivating creates this overjustification impact that reduces motivation.
Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett’s Analysis
In one other well-known examine on the overjustification impact, researchers Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett divided a bunch of youngsters who loved drawing into three teams. Within the activity, the kids drew with felt-tipped markers:
- First group: These youngsters have been promised a ribbon for finishing the exercise.
- Second group: These youngsters weren’t advised concerning the reward they’d get till the exercise was finished.
- Third group: This group was not advised about or given any kind of reward.
When the kids have been later allowed to play freely, the children who had been promised a reward have been much less prone to play with the felt-tip markers. The overjustification impact means that as a result of these children had come to count on a reward, they misplaced their curiosity within the exercise they used to take pleasure in. There was no distinction within the children in group one and group three, who had both obtained an sudden reward or obtained no reward in any respect.
Latest Analysis
Nonetheless, a 2022 replication of Deci’s unique analysis didn’t yield the identical outcomes. Opposite to Deci’s findings, there have been vital particular person variations in efficiency throughout each teams. Total, each teams confirmed decreased activity engagement in every session.
What Causes the Overjustification Impact?
There are a number of completely different explanations which will clarify why the overjustification impact occurs.
Lack of Autonomy
In response to Deci’s self-determination idea, individuals must expertise autonomy, competence, and relatedness to really feel intrinsically motivated. Providing a reward would possibly make individuals really feel like they’ve much less of a alternative about whether or not to interact in a habits.
As a substitute of doing it as a result of they need to do it, they’re left feeling like they should do it to acquire a reward. This causes individuals to really feel like they’ve much less autonomy, decreasing their intrinsic motivation.
Modifications in Attribution
When exterior rewards are launched, individuals generally attribute their habits to the exterior reinforcement reasonably than their very own inside motivation. This variation can shift how individuals view their very own causes for performing. Because of this, they could begin to see the motion as a method to get hold of a reward reasonably than one thing they take pleasure in.
Diminished Emotions of Competence
Competence is one other key part of intrinsic motivation. When rewards are given, the message they ship might be that an individual lacks the competence to carry out the duty independently. This could make individuals really feel like they will solely carry out the duty as a result of they’re rewarded for it.
Speedy vs. Future Focus
Exterior rewards present an instantaneous profit. Intrinsic rewards, then again, are extra typically related to long-term rewards. The short-term positive aspects individuals obtain typically overshadow the advantages which can be additional off sooner or later, which may negatively have an effect on intrinsic motivation.
Examples of the Overjustification Impact
Just a few examples of how the overjustification impact would possibly look in numerous contexts embrace:
Schooling
Contemplate a scenario the place a pupil enjoys studying about math and fixing equations. Their trainer introduces a reward system that rewards college students who earn excessive scores on homework and exams. Because of this, the scholar begins to focus extra on the reward reasonably than their intrinsic love of math, and their curiosity and motivation start to drop.
Office
Contemplate a scenario the place an worker enjoys assembly with new shoppers. Their employer introduces a system wherein staff obtain a bonus each time they enroll a brand new buyer. As a substitute of having fun with the expertise of chatting with potential shoppers, the method turns into a chore that the worker solely does to get the bonus.
Hobbies
Think about a scenario the place an individual likes to create artwork. They start promoting their artwork and discover themselves creating artwork that’s extra prone to promote however that they don’t take pleasure in as a lot. Over time, their intrinsic want to create begins to say no.
How Does the Overjustification Impact Affect Conduct?
The overjustification impact impacts habits in a wide range of methods:
Rewards Can Shift Your Focus
Initially, people interact in an exercise as a result of they discover it inherently gratifying, fascinating, or personally satisfying. Their focus is on the intrinsic facets of the exercise itself.
When exterior rewards are launched, there’s a possible shift in focus. People might begin to prioritize the exterior incentives, akin to cash, prizes, or recognition, over the intrinsic enjoyment of the exercise.
Rewards Can Change Your Notion
The exercise is perceived as useful for its personal sake. People derive a way of accomplishment, autonomy, and pleasure from the duty.
The presence of exterior rewards can change how people understand the explanations behind their habits. The exercise might begin to be seen extra as a method to an finish (getting the reward) reasonably than as an finish in itself.
Rewards Can Scale back Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation drives people to interact in actions with no need exterior inducements. The pleasure and satisfaction come from inside.
The overjustification impact can result in a decline in intrinsic motivation. If exterior rewards turn out to be the first focus, people might really feel much less motivated by the inherent enjoyment or satisfaction they as soon as derived from the exercise.
There Might Be Lengthy-Time period Results
Intrinsic motivation tends to foster long-term engagement and dedication to an exercise.
If intrinsic motivation diminishes, there is likely to be long-term penalties. As soon as the exterior rewards are eliminated, people might wrestle to search out the identical degree of curiosity or dedication to the exercise with out the exterior reinforcement.
It’s vital to keep in mind that the overjustification impact doesn’t occur universally. Particular person responses are likely to differ. Some might seamlessly combine exterior rewards with out compromising intrinsic motivation, whereas others might expertise a extra pronounced shift in focus.
Cope With the Overjustification Impact
It’s all the time potential to utterly eradicate the overjustification impact, however there are some steps you possibly can take to assist cut back its impression. Managing the overjustification impact entails incorporating methods to stability exterior rewards with intrinsic motivation.
Techniques that may assist embrace:
Concentrate on the Intrinsic Enjoyment
Attempt to focus in your inherent enjoyment of the exercise. Remind your self why you initially discovered the duty gratifying and satisfying. This may also help reinforce the inherent worth of the exercise past exterior rewards.
Incorporate Intrinsic Rewards
Incorporate intrinsic rewards alongside exterior incentives. Emphasize the private satisfaction, ability growth, or enjoyment that comes from participating within the exercise itself. This twin strategy may also help preserve a well-rounded perspective on motivations.
Try to Keep Autonomy
Attempt to assist individuals preserve as a lot autonomy as potential. When individuals really feel accountable for their actions, it helps defend intrinsic motivation. Keep away from overly controlling environments that make the exercise really feel extra like a method to an finish.
Present Surprising Rewards
If exterior rewards are needed, think about using sudden or shock incentives. Surprising rewards are much less prone to result in the overjustification impact as a result of people don’t initially affiliate the exercise solely with exterior reinforcement.
Emphasize Mastery and Competence
Concentrate on selling a way of mastery and competence within the activity. Acknowledge and have fun private progress and achievements associated to ability growth. Acknowledging progress and competence can play a job in reinforcing intrinsic motivation.
Encourage Intrinsic Objective Setting
Information people to set private, intrinsic objectives associated to the exercise. This may also help shift the main focus from exterior rewards to inside benchmarks and private achievements, fostering a way of accomplishment and motivation.
By incorporating these methods, people and organizations can reduce the unfavourable results of the overjustification impact. In doing so, they will defend and even nurture intrinsic motivation whereas getting the advantages of exterior incentives when acceptable.
Key Factors to Keep in mind
- The overjustification impact happens when introducing exterior rewards for an intrinsically motivated habits results in a decline within the particular person’s intrinsic motivation for that exercise.
- Exterior incentives, akin to cash or prizes, might shift the main focus from the inherent enjoyment of an exercise to the pursuit of exterior rewards, doubtlessly diminishing the pleasure derived from the duty itself.
- Methods to handle the overjustification impact embrace emphasizing intrinsic enjoyment, utilizing sudden rewards, selling activity autonomy, and inspiring intrinsic aim setting.
- Balancing exterior incentives with a give attention to private satisfaction, mastery, and competence may also help mitigate the unfavourable impression of exterior rewards on intrinsic motivation.
Sources:
Deci, E. L. (1971). Results of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Character and Social Psychology, 18(1), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030644
Martela, F., & Riekki, T. J. J. (2018). Autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence: A multicultural comparability of the 4 pathways to significant work. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1157. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01157
Peters, Ok. P., Grauerholz-Fisher, E., Vollmer, T. R., & Van Arsdale, A. (2022). An analysis of the overjustification speculation: A replication of Deci (1971). Conduct Evaluation: Analysis and Follow, 22(3), 258–264. https://doi.org/10.1037/bar0000245