Intrinsic Motivation: The Search For Meaning
The search for meaning is the key to intrinsic motivation and personal growth. Having a goal and knowing that it is the most important in our eyes allows us to see emerging in front of us a path capable of guiding us daily so as not to lose direction. This is the only way to make room for passion and success in our work and to keep away the barbed wire representing those who dare to stray us from our personal path.
As curious as it may seem to us, it is common in psychological practice to ask patients the following questions: “What defines you? What are your values? What is the meaning of life according to you? In a way, we have inherited these existential foundations left by Viktor Frankl with logotherapy. They allow us to bring to life the primary motivation, necessary for every human being.
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Nowadays, many specialists point out that this objective, that of the search for meaning, is one of the most basic needs of a good part of the population. Today we experience an uncomfortable feeling of emptiness. A few decades ago, religion and spirituality tried to fill these spaces with doubts, personal abysses and drifts. Nowadays we indeed need something more.
We could say that we have already left out the need to understand our origin or our position in space. Science has given us important answers and we have a great deal of information at our disposal. Nevertheless, in this present defined by great technological advances, other deep voids are appearing, other anxieties.
Why am I here? What do I expect from myself? Instead of questioning ourselves about the proper meaning of life, let us rather question ourselves about our relationship to life and our relationship to ourselves.
Intrinsic motivation, a compromise with yourself
We have all learned that motivation can be of two types: extrinsic and intrinsic. The first is orchestrated by the need to conduct certain behaviors in order to receive an external reward, objective reinforcement. The second, intrinsic motivation, corresponds to the motivation that an individual has to do certain things for pure pleasure, without the need for external intervention.
In a study conducted at the University of Strathfield, it is indicated that this dimension is regulated by a series of very concrete processes. Thus, important realities such as creativity, curiosity, reflection, critical thinking, initiative and proactive behaviors are those that orchestrate all the impulse giving life to intrinsic motivation.
The problem arises now. For much of our life we have been educated in parameters that extrinsic motivation regulates. “If you do this, I will congratulate you. Be well and I’ll buy you this toy. If you complete your semester, I’ll let you go on a trip. ”
Society manipulates us too. She employs the behaviorist style based on prizes, punishments and rewards. In fact, we have lived so dependent on this external hand gratifying us that we can feel lost in its absence. Being dependent on this external world is at the origin of the appearance of internal voids. This blocks initiatives, inhibits the creative impulses, the challenge, the desire to seek rewards.
The search for meaning, a personal obligation
The search for meaning brings our intrinsic motivation to life. From the moment we have an objective, a reason for being, a passion and a common thread allowing us to follow our dreams, our values and our determination; everything changes. However, how do you get there? We are so filled with obligations, pressures, conditions and environmental noise that it becomes difficult for us to find a purpose.
Nevertheless, there is something that we cannot lose sight of: the human being is resourceful, courageous, spiritual. The search for meaning can be carried out in any scenario and any situation, for example by:
- Talking with someone, allowing yourself to discover other points of view
- Traveling
- Reading and discovering a book
- Learning something new, opening your mind to other knowledge
- Attending a conference
- Playing a sport
- Meeting new people
Nevertheless, some dimensions are real keys.
Make a commitment with yourself
The search for meaning requires a personal commitment. This means, for example, not to postpone responding to our needs overnight. We must therefore give ourselves quality time, take care of ourselves, allow ourselves to profit, give us the possibility of being confronted with new opportunities in order to experiment, to discover …
Be curious, challenge yourself, innovate
Sometimes we have no other option but to unlearn in order to learn again. We have spent so much time being driven by extrinsic motivation and the need to be validated or rewarded that we have forgotten the happiness that comes with getting off this tour and challenging the world.
Let us motivate ourselves to think differently, to be creative, to innovate, to adopt other ideas, behaviors, projects … The desire brings discoveries and the search for meaning goes through the ability to do other things, to get out of routine.
In conclusion, finding a vital goal is a personal obligation that we should all be working on. Let us reduce our existential void and fill it with experiences, lived experiences, opportunities. Life can often reveal to us not one, but various senses on which we can base our motives.
Our thoughts Yerkes-Dodson’s law tells us about the relationship between efficiency and excitement. What does it tell us about these two concepts?
