Depending on who you ask, it can mean two things: either the factors that drive you to do a task, or the drive itself.
Linked to the overjustification effect.
To the outside world, they only care about the grades of examinations, so there is indeed quite a bit of mismatch there! Intrinsic is, of course, more powerful; extrinsic is more so a means to an end rather than any special passion towards the task. Might also be one reason for de-motivation of examination systems, though humans usually are in fact quite passionate about learning, people indeed rot when they have to deal with things like “mark scheme trickery” and “forced to learn specific things in the syllabus instead of whatever their mind flows to.”
Not seeking approval can increase motivation. But don’t do this at work, not asking for a money raise, as it paradoxically won’t work!
For instance, grades have external pragmatic value but prohibit discovery with creativity. Learning something intrinsically exciting is like the opposite.
Using punishment or anger as motivation. For instance, one time I was fed up, although this sounds scary, I will indeed use negative human psychology to benefit me as nothing else seems to be working.
Firstly, I will be driven by spite for the education system. There’s no other logical feeling that works for me and is also very strongly motivating to human brains (just like ragebait on the internet).
Secondly, since I cannot make studying more enjoyable, the only thing I can do is to lower how much pleasure other activities give me.
Thus, I will slowly let the desires sit by themselves, and eventually they will fade like the fog due to the passage of time, slowly lowering the craving for something until it is almost like it doesn’t exist anymore.
One downside is that it can potentially make it easier for you to get angry in daily life. Spite is a high-octane fuel that can actually end up psychologically tough if outcomes are not achieved, and the foundation of motivation can collapse.
Quite weak, actually. Again, you can see the above. There can be two ways: pursuing goals in response to external rewards/punishments, and pursuing goals out of internal feelings of obligation or pressure.
Where the motivation is avoiding punishment, for instance, doing the homework that you hate to do! I used to think this was the only option, and schools conditioned me to think this way for a long time! Scary. Luckily, I know autonomy is now much stronger as a motivating factor than by FORCE! Research shows this is bad but schools literally have no other choice but to use the desire to avoid shame and punishment becuase that's literally how they function.
Studying is only partially wanted - in the means to the end that you want a good grade for uni - but hate the act of studying itself
I perceive goals as optimal: so naturally always below them. Motivation
only for goals?? Disappointing! Stoicism related.
Then if I achieve it, its too annoying to set another one. Though it's
human cravings due to the Zeigarnik Effect, so it's likely it's hedonism that's
setting the goals for me.
Rather, the paradoxical thing is that if your motivation comes
from achieving goals, for most far-reached goals, you are more likely to
give up. Rather, it is more productive to see how much you do in a day,
and/or build micro-goals.
Classic motivation vs discipline... but don't you need motivation to enact discipline? Discipline being blanket for "Do even if you don't want to" these days which is not hedonically pleasurable. They are not contradictories, they help each other. The tricky thing is when both, or a third variable like energy, is depleted.