Navigating by the Stars: Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation is easy to overlook. Until we feel stuck. Or burned out. Or pulled too many directions. Sometimes, when we don’t know where to go next, it helps to pause and ask: What’s guiding me? And is it something actually worth following?

Think of motivation as a force getting us moving - drive pushing us forward or pulls us toward something. Psychology sometimes call this approach "drive models" because they frame motivation as a kind of inner motor. But not all engines run on the same fuel. And not all journeys feel the same, even if we end up at the same destination.

Some motivations come from deep within us - like curiosity, joy, or a hunger to grow. We call these intrinsic motivation - ones lighting us up from the inside. Others come from the outside: praise, deadlines, status, rewards. These are extrinsic motivation - just as real, but dependent on the environment around us.

Both types matter. Both can move us. But they feel different in the body, and they shape our experiences different ways. Intrinsic motivation can feel like sailing under your own wind - energizing, even when it’s hard. Extrinsic motivation can feel more like rowing toward a marker someone else set for you. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need. Other times, it leaves us wondering why we feel so tired, even after we "win."

As we reflect on the activity we completed, you might start to notice which kinds of forces show up in your own life. There’s no right or wrong balance—just an invitation to listen to what fuels you best right now.

When we look up at the night sky, we don’t just see stars. We see patterns. Some twinkle with inner joy. Others reflect the glow of the world around us. The activity helps us name those lights. breaking motivation down into four core dimensions - two intrinsic and two extrinsic - and invites us to notice which stars shine brightest in our current sky.

Each score ranges 1 to 4, with higher numbers indicating stronger presence of that motivation. Here’s how our results are structured:

Intrinsic Motivation
🎨 Enjoyment - finding joy in the task itself
🧗 Challenge - finding meaning in stretching your limits

Extrinsic Motivation
🎤 Recognition - being driven by praise, status, or validation
💰 Compensation - being motivated by external rewards (money, grades, etc.)

Some stars don’t shout. They glow softly, steady and warm. The enjoyment subscale measures how much joy, pleasure, or personal satisfaction you find in work itself. It’s about doing something because you like it, not because someone’s watching or rewarding you.

This kind of motivation is often quiet but powerful. It’s the feeling of getting lost in a task, smiling at something you made, or finishing something hard and thinking, "that felt good." When enjoyment is high, the process itself is the prize.

Here’s a way to interpret your score, using the metaphor of light:

💭 Reflection: When was the last time you did something that made you feel quietly happy just because? What kinds of tasks give you a feeling of, I could do this forever?

Some stars don’t just shine - they pull. The challenge subscale reflects a deep, internal drive to stretch our limits, solve complex problems, and grow through effort. This isn't about being the best. But about loving the process of rising to meet something just beyond reach.

When this kind of motivation is strong, you may find yourself lit up by hard questions, creative puzzles, or goals requiring grit. When it’s quieter, you might prefer stability, routine, or only take on what feels safe. And that’s okay, too. Challenge is a kind of heat, and we each regulate it differently depending on our season, stress, and support.

Here’s a way to interpret your score through the lens of light:

💭 Reflection: What kinds of challenges feel invigorating, and which just feel like pressure? Is there a difference between being stretched and being strained?

Some stars shine brightest when others are watching. The recognition subscale reflects how much we’re motivated by external validation - praise, admiration, grades, titles, or a sense of being seen. It’s not about vanity. It’s about being witnessed, valued, and affirmed.

When this light burns bright, your drive may come from a desire to do well in others' eyes. It can be energizing - especially in environments where recognition is tied to opportunity or belonging. But if it becomes your only fuel, it may start to feel hollow, like chasing applause that fades too quickly.

Here’s how to interpret your score:

💭 Reflection: How do you feel when someone praises your work? Does it energize you? Or add pressure? What kind of recognition feels meaningful to you?

Some lights are tied to tangible rewards - the gold stars, grades, paycheck at the end of the week. The compensation subscale reflects how much we’re driven by outcomes we can count, measure, or earn. It’s not shallow. It’s often about survival, safety, or the feeling of earning your place.

This kind of motivation shows up when goals are tied to something concrete: a job promotion, a scholarship, a finished product. When it’s strong, it can help our focus, hustle, and stay on task. But if it’s our only light, the work itself can start feeling like a means to someone else’s end.

Here’s how to interpret your compensation score:

💭 Reflection: When have rewards helped you stay motivated. And when have they distracted you from enjoying the process? Do your goals feel like yours, or someone else’s?

You looked at your four kinds of motivation - four stars in your sky.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind:

• Motivation is context-sensitive. Stress, environment, identity, and stage of life can all shift what drives you.
• None of the lights are “better.” Challenge might fuel you in one class, while compensation motivates you in another. Both are valid.
• Low scores aren’t failures. A dim light might mean something’s been smothered—or it might mean that kind of motivation has never resonated with you. That’s data for yourself, not judgment.

A star on its own is just a light. What matters is how they form a constellation.

Example Constellations (Patterns of Results)

• High Enjoyment & High Challenge: You may thrive when learning is joyful and stretching. You may be deeply self-motivated.
• High Recognition & High Compensation: You may do best with structure, accountability, and clear payoffs. Just don’t forget your "why."
• High Challenge & Low Enjoyment: You may be growth-driven but burned out. Try reconnecting with your purpose. Or play.
• Low Challenge & High Recognition: You might seek validation through easier wins. Which isn't necessarily bad, but notice if it feels hollow.
• High Enjoyment & Low Compensation: You may love the work but undervalue your own time. Remember, it’s okay to be paid for your passions.

Even the clearest night sky has forces behind it - gravity, atmosphere, time. Motivation is the same. What pulls us forward isn’t random. Over the past few decades, psychology has charted patterns behind what drives us, and why some motivations burn brighter than others.

Let's consider a few lens of motivation research to help us understand our results and the psychology.

Self-Determination
🌟 Guiding Star: Autonomy, Competence, and Connection
We’re most alive - most driven - when we feel our choices are truly ours, that we’re capable of growing, and that we’re meaningfully connected to others. Consistent with this, students who feel more autonomous and competent are more likely to engage deeply and persist even when tasks are difficult (Deci & Ryan, 2000). If your enjoyment or challenge scores are dim, it might not be a lack of interest. It may be something’s blocking your sense of agency or belonging.

Componential Approach to Creativity
🌟 Guiding Star: Creativity flows from intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation isn’t just “nice to have” - it actually fuels our most creative work. In studies of artists, students, and professionals, people who felt internally motivated produced more original and higher-quality creative outcomes (Amabile, 1983). If your enjoyment score glows bright, you may already feel the joy of making something for no one but yourself.

Overjustification Effect
🌟 Guiding Star: Too many rewards can dim inner light
A classic study found that children who were paid to draw - something they already loved - ended up enjoying it less later (Lepper et al., 1973). The external reward replaces inner joy. It doesn’t mean rewards are bad. But it reminds us to protect what we love from becoming just another transaction.

Mindset
🌟 Guiding Star: Believing you can grow supports challenge-seeking
Students who believe their abilities can grow with effort (a “growth mindset”) are more likely to take on hard tasks and recover from setbacks (Dweck, 2006). If your challenge score is high, you may already lean into growth. If it’s low, it might be fear - not laziness - that’s speaking.

Goal-Setting
🌟 Guiding Star: Clear goals and feedback help focus the journey
When people set specific, meaningful goals, and receive timely feedback, they’re more likely to stay motivated and perform well (Locke & Latham, 2002). If your recognition or compensation scores shine bright, it might reflect how structure and outcome-based feedback keep you moving forward.

💭 Reflection: Which of these "guiding stars" feel familiar to you? Are there needs - like freedom, feedback, or purpose - that could be reshaped to support your motivation?

A star map is only useful if you stop to look around. After all the reflection, the data, the models - this is where you get to ask: What now? Motivation isn’t fixed. It responds to environment, identity, energy, purpose. The goal isn’t to chase only the “right” stars—it’s to notice what actually lights you up. Ask yourself what stars am I following right now? Which feel nourishing? Do I have room to reconnect with joy or growth? And where might I need more support, freedom, or feedback?

Small shifts matter. You don’t need to redesign your life overnight. But maybe there’s one class where you can lean more into curiosity. One project where you can redefine success. One moment where you notice, I’m doing this for me.

You don’t have to follow every bright thing in the sky. Just the ones that feel like home.

Some nights, it’s hard to see the stars. Life gets cloudy—stress, expectations, burnout—and the lights that once guided us can feel faint or far away. But even when the sky is overcast, the stars haven’t disappeared. They’re still there, waiting. And so is your inner compass.

Let your joy matter. Let your need for recognition be named without shame. Let challenge stretch you, and rest find you, and rewards support you without stealing your spark.

The sky is always there.

You get to decide how you travel through it.

Uneasy Feelings about Your Results?
Please remember your results with any activity are not who you are. Your results are a 'snapshot' of a moment when you did an activity. It's just one measure, a single thread, of the many strands of who you are. Any result is a guess with statistical error. And it's possible the measure is flawed in a way so it doesn't work for you. Please do not think of your results as definitive dogma. Instead they're a starting point for our self reflection. Please keep in mind too, self-reflection can feel uncomfortable. "Bad" feelings are not actually bad. They're information. So, even if your activity result is inaccurate and flawed, you might ask yourself what your feeling is trying to tell you? Trusted teachers, friends, and therapists can be helpful. I wrote an essay elaborating with concrete examples how we can appreciate uneasy feelings about our activity results.

Scholarly Information?
You're welcome to use Copernican Revolution activities and essays for your thesis and studies. Having information about scholarly aspects like psychometric data, activity design details, and norm calculations may help. The primary focus of my essays is connecting educated laypersons with psychology. To help people like you, with advanced academic interests, I add an appendix with each activity.

Amabile, T. M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity. Springer-Verlag.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children’s intrinsic interest with extrinsic rewards: A test of the “overjustification” hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(1), 129–137.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.