Book Review Mondays

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Why We Do What We do: Understanding Self-Motivation
by Edward Deci and Richard Flaste

Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD.

Edward Deci is a psychology professor at the University of Rochester, and Richard Flaste is a former science and health editor for The New York Times, and the book Why we do what we do: Understanding self-motivation is a book on how people can become more genuinely engaged and successful in pursuing their goals. What is it that makes people want to succeed? From his extensive studies, Deci discovered that reward/punishment motivational systems (e.g., teacher and students, manager and employees, parents and children) don't work. They alienate people, make them less productive, and leave them less fulfilled. Control, he demonstrates, is always second-best to autonomy. "Self-motivation," he writes, "rather than external motivation, is at the heart of creativity, responsibility, healthy behavior, and lasting change." The way the authors explain the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is both detailed and interesting. With simple language and well-explained concepts, this book is a must read for teachers, managers, and parents. It may require an entirely different approach if we are interested in changing the behavior of those we most want to influence.

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