Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is a broad category of motivation coming from external factors like seeking praise or rewards or social expectations of pressure to perform an action, or perceived threats, like fear of punishment. In contrast to autonomous motivation (voluntary acts by choice, based on our own interests and values), extrinsic motivation gives us less feeling of control over our own lives and actions. An example is practicing a musical instrument because we feel obligated to our parents for paying for music lessons, not because of our love of music. Also see Self-Determination Theory and Intrinsic Motivation