The Intrinsic-Extrinsic Dichotomy: Toward Conceptual Clarity

Abstract

In this article the authors examine and define the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as intrinsic and extrinsic outcome. They examine these concepts in the context of employee motivation, noting that intrinsically motivated employees attend to their work due to feelings of self-fulfillment where as extrinsically motivated employees go about their jobs while being driven by factors or events whose delivery is dependent on a source outside of the immediate task. The authors note that the debate will surely continue over this subject and its application in social psychology and urge researchers to continue examining organizational behavior.