The question of why people do things or perhaps why they do not has puzzled mankind for centuries. In the recent past psychologists have researched motivation and developed numerous models and theories to help explain why we do things, such as:
Instinct Theory of Motivation
people are motivated to behave in certain ways because they are evolutionary programmed to do so
Incentive Theory of Motivation
people are motivated to do things because of external rewards
Drive Theory of Motivation
people are motivated to take certain actions in order to reduce the internal tension that is caused by unmet needs
Arousal Theory of Motivation
people take certain actions to either decrease or increase levels of arousal
Humanistic Theory of Motivation
people have a strong cognitive reasons to perform various actions
In the Principles of Persuasion Workshop we focus on and teach persuaders it is important to understand the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is when we undertake a behaviour because it is internally rewarding. We undertake the task or behaviour because of who we are, what we think of ourselves, it makes us feel good, or because we want to. It is not done for attainment of any specific external reward.
Extrinsic motivation is when we undertake a behaviour because it is externally rewarding. We undertake the task or behaviour because doing so will earn us a reward or allow us to avoid punishment or loss.
Yeah, okay you say. So what?
Here is the so what. Advertisers and marketers use Scarcity as a means of triggering the extrinsic motivation for you take action. They highlight how much time you have left, that the product is running out or that you are in competition with others so you had better get it quick so you don’t miss out. Yes it is a motivator but is it more powerful than an intrinsic motivator?
Research suggests not. Intrinsic motivation is known to last longer than an extrinsic motivator. People have more initiative when driven to achieve, they are more satisfied and are well…more motivated to see the task or action through to completion.
With extrinsic motivators – once the reward or punishment is gone then usually so to is the desired behaviour. With intrinsic motivation it is not usually person or issue centric – for example, if people volunteer their time to help animals or people less fortunate than themselves, the sense of purpose or satisfaction does not diminish after saving one dog or working on one soup kitchen.
Therefore why do marketing and advertising campaigns use the extrinsic motivator so much more?
In my opinion people who continue to just focus on extrinsic motivators do so because they are lazy. Extrinsic motivators are easier.
You can easily show people what they stand to lose or use market forces to genuinely create Scarcity or the perception of it. The reason it works is because every organism on earth is bound by Scarcity, i.e. if we don’t have enough to live we die – it is an easy trump card to get people to take action.
But it is overdone. Yelling, screaming rug salesmen do not motivate me to go and buy a rug. All they do is lower the price point of rugs because they obviously have 50, 60, 70, 80% mark-up in the rug because every one of them is marking the price down every other week. The frequency and overuse of it is working against them, not for them.
Triggering intrinsic motivation is harder. It takes genuine interaction. It requires the asking of well constructed questions and the willingness to listen. Not just an ability to make statements or tell people what to do. The persuader needs to elicit a commitment from the person in order to trigger the motivation and then this becomes the driver to stay on track.
So the choice is yours – rely on the extrinsic and overuse Scarcity at your own peril. If you want to truly master the art of influence – learn to ask great questions and elicit commitments to trigger the unending power source within – the intrinsic motivator.
Source: Cherry, K Theories of Motivation; A Closer Look at Some Important Theories of Motivation (http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologytopics/tp/theories-of-motivation.htm)
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