The Motivation Of Freedom

What motivates us as human beings?

There are many factors that can drive us.

However, research has been done to determine the most powerful motivation for human beings.

The work of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan went deeply into this question, and they did all sorts of tests to get an answer.

What did they determine?

Autonomous Motivation, a form of Intrinsic Motivation, was always the more powerful form of motivation.

We may "accept" other types of motivation if our environmental situations demand it, such as needing enough money to feed our families, but we will never do our best work if it's not Autonomous.

Often there is also a breaking point with other types of motivation as well, a point where we simply refuse to take any more.

Now, if we look at the United States and the fight for Independence from Britain (which we celebrate today on July 4th), this brings in a new perspective.

In it, the Founding Fathers are talking about their "motivations" to separate from the political leadership of their time.

"... a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

The Declaration of Independence is a document explaining the "motivation" for separation.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This is saying that we have Intrinsic motivations in our lives that are embedded into our very being, which they state as "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Founding Fathers then go on to say,

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

Essentially, governments are created to protect our Intrinsic Motivations of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

If a government fails to do this and fails to protect our intrinsic motivations, then that government is failing to uphold what it was designed to do.

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

With this, the Founding Fathers are saying that if the government in power fails to protect, or worse "becomes destructive of these ends" (aka actively works against our Intrinsic Motivations), then the people have the right to overthrow and institute a new government that will protect their Intrinsic Motivations.

A key distinction that is made by the Founding Fathers here is that governments should not be overthrown for "light and transient causes", so this is not a call for governments to bow to the whims of the people.

This is made clear by further saying,

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

When it has become clear that the government continually works against our Intrinsic Motivations, and attempts to "reduce them" to "Despotism" (exercising power in a cruel or oppressive way, aka Extrinsic Motivation), then that government should be overthrown.

Most of the rest of the document talks about how the King at that time attempted to use Extrinsic Motivations to control the people in the States and prevented them from having access to their Intrinsic Motivations.

What we are seeing in this document is a group of people who have been pushed against their will with Extrinsic Motivational tactics.

When those same people felt denied of their Intrinsic Motivations, they got angry.

It wasn't an immediate reaction, there is a long list of Extrinsic Motivations that added up over time, leading to more and more Oppression.

As they added up, the people got angrier and angrier.

They made pleas for this behavior to stop, and they weren't heard.

They asked for more access to their Intrinsic Motivations and were denied.

It was only a matter of time before the people couldn't take it anymore.

Eventually, Intrinsic Motivations need to be met, and people will fight and die for it.

That's what we see with the Fight for Independence.

Within that fight as well, there is often a question, "How did a bunch of under-resourced, disorganized, untrained citizens defeat the most powerful nation in the world at that time?"

Motivations.

The people of the States were all Intrinsically Motivated.

The military personnel of the British were all Extrinsically Motivated.

Over time, the Intrinsically Motivated side won, because it is the more powerful motivator.

When you are Extrinsically Motivated, there's a moment that is reached that says,

"What's the point?"

"I don't want to die for this."

"You couldn't pay me enough to make me continue down this impossible road"

People who are Intrinsically Motivated think otherwise.

"This IS the entire point."

"I would be happy to die for this."

"I don't need anything else to continue down this daunting road that looks impossible. You can beat me, throw me in jail, kill me - the cause is worth it."

How do you fight against that kind of determination?

You can't.

Keep this in mind as a Leader - are the people you oversee being Intrinsically Motivated, or Extrinsically Motivated?