Dear Tobi, 

Check this out:

https://community.lithium.com/t5/Science-of-Social-blog/Intrinsic-vs-Extrinsic-Rewards-and-Their-Differences-from/ba-p/128969

Dear Tobi,

In psychology it can be expressed as: intrisic motivation is driven by internal rewards and extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards

Neuoscience have other explanations

Motivation and how it can be explained is a complicated issue

Best wishes Lisbeth

http://psychology.about.com/od/motivation/f/intrinsic-motivation.htm

www.wial.org/uploads/resources/d05d2a6414bc6889fe4c40bbda53f487.pdf

Dear Beatrice and Lisbeth,

Thank you.

My appreciation also goes to everyone who has contributed to this topic via RMNET and personal email

My findings from different sources provided are discussed below:

1. Steers, R.M. & Porter, L.W. (1991). Rewards in Organizations (Chapter 11). In, Motivation and Work Behavior, Steers, R.M., and Porter, L.W (Eds.), p.478-543. McGraw Hill Series in Management.

This is the article recommended by the professor for reading. Page 510 discusses external and internal rewards:

External rewards are, “positive or negative outcomes from supervisors, coworkers, the organization’s reward system, or other environmental sources.” Internal reward on the other hand, “comes from the performance of the task itself (e.g. feelings of accomplishment, personal worth, achievement). In a sense individuals give these rewards to themselves when they feel they are deserved. The environment cannot give them or take them away directly; it can only make them possible.”

Flipping forward three pages, the authors write (p. 513) on intrinsic/extrinsic rewards: “… the rest of this chapter focuses on the visible extrinsic rewards that an organization can allocate to its members on a targeted basis: promotion, status symbols, and perquisite… intrinsic rewards as feelings of responsibility, competence, and personal growth and development.”

Based on my limited understanding of this topic, is it safe to conclude from Steers and Porter (1991) that external rewards = extrinsic rewards; whereas, internal rewards = intrinsic rewards?

2. Deci and colleagues (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Gange and Deci, 2005- Journal of Organizational Behavior)

Reference provided by Jeff Edwards and Robert Litchfield (RMNET). I understand from Gange and Deci’s (2005) discussion of self-determination theory and motivation, under the section on cognitive evaluation theory (CET), Gange and Deci link internal and external rewards to intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. No distinction is made between intrinsic/internal rewards or extrinsic/external rewards. An excerpt from 332 and 333 respectively read,

 Page 332

"Cognitive evaluation theory suggested first that external factors such as tangible rewards, deadlines (Amabile, DeJong, & Lepper, 1976), surveillance (Lepper & Greene, 1975), and evaluations (Smith, 1975) tend to diminish feelings of autonomy, prompt a change in perceived locus of causality (PLOC) from internal to external (deCharms, 1968; Heider, 1958), and undermine intrinsic motivation. In contrast, some external factors such as providing choice about aspects of task engagement tend to enhance feelings of autonomy, prompt a shift in PLOC from external to internal, and increase intrinsic motivation (Zuckerman et al., 1978)"

 Page 333

"...Research in line with CET has also shown that contingent, tangible rewards and other extrinsic factors such as competition and evaluations can be detrimental to outcomes such as creativity, cognitive flexibility, and problem solving which have been found to be associated with intrinsic motivation (e.g., Amabile, Goldfarb, & Brackfield, 1990; McGraw, 1978)..."

3. Michael Wu, PhD. (link provided by Beatrice Marianne)

Reading through Michael's Wu's (PhD. UC Berkerly, Biophysics) blog, titled, "Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation—Clearing the Fog (not Fogg!)" (see, https://community.lithium.com/t5/Science-of-Social-blog/Intrinsic-vs-Extrinsic-Motivation-Clearing-the-Fog-not-Fogg/ba-p/128039), Wu makes a distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. He writes that both types of motivation are tied to the activity/behavior, not the individual. That is, "intrinsic (or extrinsic) motivation means whether the reason that drives someone to do something is intrinsic (or extrinsic) to the behavior or activity." Reading his blog is beneficial. However, his conceptualization directs attention to motivation from rewards. In a different blog, titled, "Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Rewards (and Their Differences from Motivations) (see https://community.lithium.com/t5/Science-of-Social-blog/Intrinsic-vs-Extrinsic-Rewards-and-Their-Differences-from/ba-p/128969), Wu once again links intrinsic rewards and extrinsic rewards to extrinsic motivation.

4. Kendra Cherry (link provided by Lisbeth Nilsson via ResearchGate website).

Kendra starts her discussion on motivation by tying intrinsic motivation to internal rewards, and on the other hand, ties extrinsic motivation to external rewards. In order words, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are both tied to motivation. No conceptual or operational distinction. See, http://psychology.about.com/od/motivation/f/intrinsic-motivation.htm

Kendra links internal rewards and external rewards to extrinsic motivation.

In summary, the question with regards to the conceptual and operational distinction between intrinsic/internal rewards and extrinsic/external rewards appears unresolved. The authors cited above link rewards to motivation without making a clear distinction between all four types of rewards. The link of rewards to motivation can be expected. Intrinsic-extrinsic rewards are used interchangeably with internal-external rewards.

Dear Tobi,

Words and the meanings attributed to them are fascinating.

Dictionaries are useful in sorting out the different meaning of words. I only checked the words intrinsic and internal in Merriam-Webster and Oxford Dictionaries. The check revealed a difference. In Merriam Webster the synomyms for intrinsic does not include internal (Synonyms for intrinsic are built-in, constitutional, constitutive, essential, hardwired, immanent, inborn, inbred, indigenous, ingrain, ingrained (also engrained), innate, integral, inherent, native, natural) And the synonyms for internal does not include intrinsic (Synonyms for internal are inside, interior, inner, inward)

It's like intrinsic is more about constitution, nature of and internal is more about situatedness. I don't know if this difference adds to your understanding of these words when used together with the word reward. But I think it is important that we define the meaning we attribute to the words we use for phenomenons, if we believe there can be differences between definitions in use.

If don't know if you are interested in motivation and rewards in the workplace but if so. you may find this article interesting:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1950498/

Lisbeth,

thanks for the insight from Oxford Dictionaries.

The article you shared discusses motivation (i.e. drivers, incentives) without expressly using the word motivation. Quite an interesting study conducted in Sweden outlining the different traps (body sick role, poverty, fox, honey), employee reincentivization methods (drive repair, body repair, self repair, work-place repair, rehumanizing, etc.). Authors also differentiate between incentives, capacities, modes, drivers and traps.

Best regards,

Tobi

Deci and Ryan may have something moe to say. They seem to define intrinsic motivation to that which brings its own rewards. So the rewards are 'intrinsic to the activity' or 'internal to the person'7. They also distinguish several forms of extrinsic motivation with varying degrees of 'intrinsicness' (my made up word not theirs). The best level of extrinsic motivation (called integrated extrinsic motivation) where the 'rewards' are "fully assimilated with self so they are included in a person's self evaluations and beliefs on personal needs" implying internalised rewards. Perhaps then there is something to be gained from the idea of rewards being intrinsic to the activity, but rewarding the participant in a way that is internal to them eg satisfaction, pleasure etc. Deci and Ryan go on to say that "Extrinsically motivated behaviours can be integrated into self. OIT proposes internalization is more likely to occur when there is a sense of relatedness". Implying an internalisation Of rewards that are extrinsic to the activity and external to the person.

Dear Mark E Gould, your reference to Deci and Ryan is interesting but could you specify it by year and title. I understand they developed the selfdetermination theory and I found a book but also articles they have written.

http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/

Hi Lisbeth,

information below:

References (Deci, Ryan)

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of research in personality, 19(2), 109-134.

Other References:

Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational behavior, 26(4), 331-362.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68.

Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., Gagné, M., Leone, D. R., Usunov, J., & Kornazheva, B. P. (2001). Need satisfaction, motivation, and well-being in the work organizations of a former eastern bloc country: A cross-cultural study of self-determination. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(8), 930-942.

The words I chose to quote actually came from Wikipedia, but the ideas come from the article 'Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions'

Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci University of Rochester.

Thank You Mark and Tobi! I'll check the references. Found quite a lot of references on the homepage of selfdetermination theory. Motivation is highly involved in driving and forming our activity patterns.

Hi Mark,

Thank you. I appreciate and agree with your comments.

I observe, from my emails that "intrinsic rewards" and extrinsic rewards" are discussed as motivation (i.e. intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) NOT rewards. But rewards differ from motivation, though a recursive relationship exists between them. However, authors agree on the conceptual definition of internal and external rewards. Is there a clear conceptual definition/distinction (if any) between "intrinsic/extrinsic rewards" on one hand and  "internal/external rewards" on the other hand?

Good point!  I Think (maybe) it is lazy word use. Ie conflating rewards with motivation. It shouldn't happen with academics but in emails (and in posts like this) one can become a bit sloppy. The word intrinsic means a 'fundamental or inseperable property of', whereas internal in this sense means 'emanating from within' ie generated by the emotions of the person. So an intrinsic reward is an inseparable property of the activity itself such as 'learning' or he product of that activity such as a lego model, whereas an internal reward is the feeling of satisfaction arising in the person who completes/engages in he activity. Extrinsic reward is therefore a reward appended to an activity such as a gold star or praise or money, and to be honest, I have difficulty separating extrinsic and external rewards. Ineresting conundrum for me!

You did not explain in your question why your professor concluded that internal and intrinsic rewards are different. Personally, I disagree with your professor. These two words are the same for all practical purposes. There are too many instances in psychology where we dissect a construct beyond what's reasonable, only to create confusion instead of meaning. Go to a thesaurus and type "intrinsic" and you will see other words such as innate, inbred, indwelling, intimate etc. Where does it end? Do you want to analyze or synthesize?

Dear Uco,

Good point! I currently do not have an answer to your question on my professors conclusion. Thanks for the contribution