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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation
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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation Paperback - 1996

by Edward L. Deci; Richard Flaste

In a book that challenges authoritarian thinking about motivation, a distinguished social psychologist offers an alternative to current reward/punishment theory, which, far from anarchy, espouses our ordered, internalized sense of freedom, responsibility, and commitment.


Summary

If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done. But is this the most effective method of motivation? No, says psychologist Edward L. Deci, who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance. The best way to motivate people—at school, at work, or at home—is to support their sense of autonomy. Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate interest and commitment, and is a much more effective approach than the standard system of reward and punishment. We are all inherently interested in the world, argues Deci, so why not nurture that interest in each other? Instead of asking, "How can I motivate people?" we should be asking, "How can I create the conditions within which people will motivate themselves?"

"An insightful and provocative meditation on how people can become more genuinely engaged and succesful in pursuing their goals." —Publisher's Weekly

From the publisher

What motivates us as students, employees, and individuals? If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done. But is this the most effective method of motivation? No, says psychologist Edward L. Deci, who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance. The best way to motivate people--at school, at work, or at home--is to support their sense of autonomy. Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate interest and commitment, and is a much more effective approach than the standard system of reward and punishment. We are all inherently interested in the world, argues Deci, so why not nurture that interest in each other? Instead of asking, "How can I motivate people?" we should be asking, "How can I create the conditions within which people will motivate themselves?"

"An insightful and provocative meditation on how people can become more genuinely engaged and succesful in pursuing their goals." --Publisher's Weekly

Details

  • Title Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation
  • Author Edward L. Deci; Richard Flaste
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 240
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date August 1, 1996
  • ISBN 9780140255263 / 0140255265
  • Weight 0.38 lbs (0.17 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.94 x 5.06 x 0.46 in (20.17 x 12.85 x 1.17 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Motivation (Psychology), Autonomy (Psychology)
  • Dewey Decimal Code 153.8

About the author

Edward L. Deci, Ph.D., professor of pyschology at the University of Rochester, is director of its human motivation program.
Richard Flaste, former Science and Health Editor of The New York Times, led the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1987.
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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation
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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation

by Deci, Edward L.

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by Deci, Edward L.; Flaste, Richard

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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation

by Deci, Edward L.; Flaste, Richard

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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation

by Richard Flaste; Edward L. Deci

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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation

Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation

by Deci, Edward L.; Flaste, Richard

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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation
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by Flaste, Richard, Deci, Edward L

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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation
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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation

by Flaste, Richard, Deci, Edward L

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation
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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation

by Flaste, Richard, Deci, Edward L

  • Used
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Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140255263 / 0140255265
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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation
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Why We Do What We Do : Understanding Self-Motivation

by Flaste, Richard, Deci, Edward L

  • Used
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Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780140255263 / 0140255265
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Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
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Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
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