Morty, you did propose something that is out of my reality when you posted,
>I'd like to propose a heretical notion: that there is no such thing as
>external motivation!!
>
>Everything we do is (in the long run) consistent with our beliefs.
>Behavior consistent with our beliefs occurs naturaly. Behavior
>inconsistent with our beliefs can be forced (motivated) for a short time
>(like keeping a beach ball under water), but ultimately our beliefs will
>out.
As I experience people struggling to make a life for themselves I find
many of them partitioning their lives into what I do to survive and what I
do for 'self-actualization' (to borrow a phrase from another thread). In
some of them there is great angst in their work place and it continues
until they retire -- because of external motivation.
Our local newspaper recently highlighted the condition of new immigrants
from Eastern Europe that are highly skilled or educated, the elite of
their home country's work force -- low payed laborers here in the US.
They drive taxi's and push lawn mowers in order to eat and have a roof
over their heads. Certainly this employment is not driven by their
intrinsic motivation.
>Threats of punishment and promises of rewards can, at times, have a
>limited and short term effect on behavior -- but in the long run, our
>behavior is a function of our beliefs. That's why most forms of
>psychotherapy are relatively ineffective. It also explains why most
>training designed to change behavior also is relatively ineffective.
In many cases it is just the fact that our behavior does not conform to
our beliefs that psychotherapy is so widely sought. Because I wish the
best schools for my child (so that he or she can be freer) I must continue
in this job I despise, but it pays well.
I do not accept the argument that people simply have to have the courage
to change to a job they want or would like. Our society is not that
accommodating. Moreover, to leave a condition in which life is barely
tolerable for one of complete uncertainty is a terribly hard decision for
many people.
We tend to celebrate as heros, or heroines people who risk all to make
changes. Those who forebear for whole lives in hope of something better
for their children or their country, or their people are also heroic. Do
such people exist, I offer Gandhi, the Dali Lama, Martin Luther, Ann
Frank, and millions of 'ordinary' people the world over.
--"William J. Hobler, Jr" <bhobler@worldnet.att.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>