Why we do what we do understanding self-motivation
" If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done. But is this the most effective method of motivation? No, says psychologist Edward L. Deci, who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance. The...
| Main Author: | Deci, Edward L. |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | Flaste, Richard. |
| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Penguin Books,
1996.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
" If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done. But is this the most effective method of motivation? No, says psychologist Edward L. Deci, who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance. The best way to motivate people -- at school, at work, or at home -- is to support their sense of autonomy. Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate interest and commitment, and is a much more effective approach than the standard system of reward and punishment. We are all inherently interested in the world, argues Deci, so why not nurture that interest in each other? Instead of asking, "How can I motivate people?" we should be asking, "How can I create the conditions within which people will motivate themselves?" From publisher's website. |
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| Item Description: |
"A Grosset/Putnam book." |
| Physical Description: |
viii, 230 pages ; 20 cm |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-222) and index. |
| ISBN: |
0140255265 (pbk.) 9780140255263 (pbk.) 0399140476 9780399140471 |
| Author Notes: |
Richard Flaste, former Science and Health Editor of The New York Times , led the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1987. |