Conclusion
Rewards, IMposed Punishments & Telling
External Approaches Are Not Nearly As Effective As Internal Motivation
“Carrot and stick approaches” rely solely on “external” motivators. They completely neglect the more powerful “internal” approach for actuating change.
Rewards and imposed punishments are two sides of the same coin. Rewards for expected standards of behavior ask, “What will I get if I do it?” Imposed punishments ask, “What will happen to me if I don’t?”
External approaches aim at obedience, but obedience does not create desire.
External approaches are dependent on someone other than the person involved. Yet, the goal is to raise independent, thoughtful citizens. These goals are in direct conflict.
Once the external reward is withdrawn, the effect is even worse than if it were never given.
Giving rewards for expected actions is inherently unfair to those who have accomplished all that was required but do not receive a reward. Alfie Kohn refers to this as “Punished by Rewards.”
The most satisfying of all rewards are the feelings one receives from the result of one’s effort. This requires “internal” motivation, not “external” manipulation.