The Periodic Table Of Motivation

I talk to a lot of people about why they want to do something. I've realized that people are confused about what exactly extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is, so I created this handy little chart below.

As with most things in life (and things like introversion and extroversion) our motivations are on a gradient. We’re never really purely extrinsic or purely intrinsic. It’s just good to know where on the scale our motivations are deriving from.

The Periodic Table Of Motivation

If you're struggling to figure out why you want to do something select the boxes above that speak to you and your motivation for wanting to do the thing. Remember, no one is watching you here. Be honest. One bit of advice, try to only pick the top 5 (or so) motivations. You could sit here all day and convince yourself to mark every box. But we’re looking for the pillars of your motivation. Which ones speak to you? 

I’m not here to tell you what the correct motivation is, but I can tell you too much external regulation or introjection without any regulation or intrinsic motivation to balance you out will leave you gasping for air when things get tough. 

I’ve joked with someone before who was struggling with writing a book. He seemed miserable but he kept telling himself that he wanted to write it and I said,

You don’t want to write a book, you want to want to write a book.

He really wasn’t aligned with his motivation. 

The more regulation and intrinsic motivators you have, the easier you will be able to navigate down moments. If you find you are heavy on the external regulation and the introjection columns, you might want to pause and rethink if what you say you want to chase is the right thing to tackle. There are a lot of unknowns and dips ahead of you. It’s going to be important that your actions are somehow aligned with your values. 

It’s all about where our locus of control is. Is it some outside force or an internal one? 

What would different motivations “sound like”?

Below is an example of all the different drivers for wanting to learn to play “Hotel California” on the guitar. 

• Amotivation - My mother is making me learn this because she loves how it sounds. I don’t want to at all. 

• External Motivation - My mother pays me to play; or, I have to play or I will get kicked out of school. 

• Introjected Motivation (Avoidance) - I feel like a loser if I don’t. I don’t want to let my mother down. 

• Introjected Motivation (Approach) - I want to prove to myself that I can do it. I always quit everything else. I need to do something other than party with my friends every night. 

• Identified Regulation - If I want to really be in a band or just jam at open mic, learning this song is going to help because it’s going to make me a better guitar player. It’s important for me to play the guitar regularly 

  
  

• Integrated Regulation - Learning this song is simply the right thing to do. That’s what being a musician is all about. Playing the guitar is part of my identity. 

• Intrinsic motivation to know - I love trying to learn a new song. The act of learning that new skill fires me up, how my fingers and brain start working together to build a new muscle; 

• Intrinsic motivation towards accomplishment - It just feels good to bag another song that I can play from memory. I get a high when I’ve nailed it. That whole process of getting there is amazing. I feel so competent and creative. 

• Intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation - I literally have endorphins rushing through my body when I hear smooth chords on the guitar. I can play all day. Hotel California is one of my favorite songs so it’s great to experience those sounds as I play them.