Psychology Homework: Motivation Theories and Basic Psychological Needs

This psychology assignment explores the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, differentiating between the two and providing a personal example of each. The assignment then delves into self-determination theory, outlining the three basic psychological needs: competence, relatedness, and autonomy. It explains the importance of satisfying these needs for individual well-being and success, highlighting their significance in various contexts such as education, the workplace, and health. The assignment also references key studies and theories related to motivation and psychological needs. It emphasizes the role of these needs in driving behavior and creating effective organizational strategies. This assignment is a valuable resource for students studying psychology and related fields, offering a comprehensive overview of motivation theories and their practical applications.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1PSYCHOLOGY
Option 6: Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Provide an
example of when you were either intrinsically or extrinsically motivated.
According to self-determination theory, list the 3 basic needs. Why is the
satisfaction of these needs important?
Extrinsic motivations are when people are motivated to perform certain tasks
or behave in a certain way so that they are able to earn some reward or avoid a
punishment. This kind of work is not done because the person enjoys it or is
satisfying to them. Rather they perform these jobs so that they can avoid an
unpleasant outcome or get something in exchange of it. Intrinsic motivation on the
other hand are activities or work that individuals enjoy or is rewarding to them as it is
pleasurable for them (Legault, 2016). This kind of activity is carried out not out of any
expectation of reward or avoiding punishment but for the pleasure that the work
g9ives. The activity in itself is the reward that they get.
The basic difference between these two kinds of motivation is the source of
the activities or the kind of activity that is performed. For example, when people
engage in some sport activities because they enjoy the experience it is known as
intrinsic motivation while when people engage in the same activity for prize or
winning money it is known as extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation can be used
to drive people to do things that they do not want but will eventually do due to the
reward that they will get (Kuvaas et al., 2017). For me, I am intrinsically motivated to
read books that I like. I have always been a book lover and have read voraciously.
Reading books gives me pleasure and happiness for which I read whenever I get
time. They do not give me any reward in material sense but the pleasure is my
reward.

2PSYCHOLOGY
According to self-determination theory says that individuals have three basic
needs that they need to satisfy. It fosters well-being of the individual and their health.
The three basic needs are competence, relatedness and autonomy. Competence is
the desire to control the result and achieve mastery through experience.
Relatedness is people’s want for interaction to others, the need that one feel to feel
connected and care for other fellow human beings (González-Cutre et al., 2016).
Autonomy is people’s need to act on their own and control aspects of life. These
needs are important aspects of life and achieving this can help people feel satisfied
with life. This is the reason that organizations ensure that these basic needs are
fulfilled for the people that work there. These needs motivate people to acquire new
knowledge and skills, change for their betterment and are basis of intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation for people.
The three needs of self-determination are important because this provides
insight into the factors that drive people for work and success. These work as
guidelines for organizations and its leaders (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). They create
organizational work culture and strategies which will motivate people more. This
concept is applicable to education, workplace, health and wellbeing scenarios. This
idea is based on the concept that the wellbeing of human beings encompass both
the physical and intellectual fulfilment. This is directly related to the intrinsic and
extrinsic motivations.

3PSYCHOLOGY
References
González-Cutre, D., Sicilia, Á., Sierra, A. C., Ferriz, R., & Hagger, M. S. (2016).
Understanding the need for novelty from the perspective of self-determination
theory. Personality and Individual Differences, 102, 159-169.
Kuvaas, B., Buch, R., Weibel, A., Dysvik, A., & Nerstad, C. G. (2017). Do intrinsic
and extrinsic motivation relate differently to employee outcomes?. Journal of
Economic Psychology, 61, 244-258.
Legault, L. (2016). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Encyclopedia of personality and
individual differences, 1-4.
Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2016). Theories of personality. Cengage Learning.