How Motivation Works In Response To Rewards - Positive Or Negative

The bottom line for motivation is reward. Some kind of reward - whether it's a gain or a loss - is behind all behavior. The reward can be either positive or negative; I occasionally come across people who are motivated by a negative outcome. That kind of motivation may not be healthy, but it does dictate behavior.

The rewards for "right" behavior are well known, but you may seldom consider the rewards for "wrong" or "negative" behavior. For example, everyone knows that good grades are the reward for studying and that good health is the reward for eating right and exercising. But everyone has also, on occasion, noticed children behaving badly in order to get the attention they want.

Once, when my sister Jenny was about 5 years old, she tried repeatedly to get her mother's attention while her mother was on the phone. In an angry fit of frustration, Jenny set fire to some boxes in the utility room. I don't need to tell you that mother didn't waste any time getting off the phone when those boxes went up in flames! Jenny's reward for that behavior was the attention she wanted - and then some. I assure you that the "and then some" part was very negative. Consequently, Jenny never set anything on fire again.


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