Overjustification Effect Essay Samples

Have people ever thought why do they do sports or anything that favors to them? Would one be surprised if he knew that person’s will in a strange way had disappeared if his actions were paid for?
In psychology such notion is called overjustification effect, and it may seriously influence one’s motivation or line of behavior. The effect emerges when additional stimulus reduces intrinsic motivation of a person to perform any action. The notion is broadly discussed by David Mayers in his book “Social psychology”. Conducted research has shown that the reward (money or other material values) proposed to a person for fulfillment of any kind of work, may be enough for reduction of further stimulus. In this case, as considered by psychologists, money and material values are extrinsic motivation, i.e. external factors influencing will and striving of a person. Psychologists also recommend now that people should be praised deliberately because it is affects further actions and behavior of a human as well.
As a confirmation of existence of notion of overjustification effect, the following example can be mentioned: my friend had been going in for sports from her 7th year from birth till the school graduation, she couldn’t live a day without having any sport activities or attending gym or dance studio she also had been attending twice a week during 10 years. After school she decided to make her hobby her profession; my friend enjoyed studying at the University at this specialty and after her graduation she found job of dance trainer where she taught little sport sticklers to dance. Two or even less months later when we met with her, she told me she understood she didn’t want to do such job. Finally, she got another higher education and worked as a banker.
The situation described above shows that a person loses his interest to the activity when he is simply paid for it rather than when he does it voluntary. And there are lots of cases as mentioned here; maybe the reason is just a routine work which transforms labor of love into labor for money, and maybe it is an inexplicable nature and feature of character of a human.