Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation

By: Edward L. Deci, Richard Flaste

Narrated by: Douglas James

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

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 it 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 successful in pursuing their goals." (Publisher's Weekly)

©1995 Edward L. Deci and Richard Flaste (P)2019 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC

Enlightenment to Motivations

I found this book insightful to understand myself as well as people around me.

A must read

It gives so much insights for running a business and achieve trully freedom in life

Good Book. Good Theories

Good book. A bit too long and could have been cut in half. Some good theories but not sure if practical.