Overjustification Effect
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The overjustification effect occurs when an introduced external reward lowers the intrinsic motivation that was already there, so a person who once acted from interest now acts for payment. The effect appears specifically when the reward is expected and tangible, and it is strongest for tasks the person already found satisfying in themselves. The underlying account is self-determination: external rewards can crowd out the autonomy that intrinsic drive feeds on.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Audit the motive: check whether the task is already driven by interest before attaching a reward. - Reward the doing: pay the process and the effort rather than the outcome alone. - Prefer intrinsic fuel: lean on achievement and autonomy before reaching for money.
Anchor fast decisions
An external reward relabels the activity as something done for pay, so the person's own explanation of why they do it shifts from interest to compliance. Once the reward stops, the behavior stops with it, because the intrinsic motive has already been displaced.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- wiki.mbalib.comhttps://wiki.mbalib.com/wiki/%E8%BF%87%E5%BA%A6%E7%90%86%E7%94%B1%E6%95%88%E5%BA%94verified
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