The Negative Interpersonal Consequences of Demeaning Extrinsic Motivation

Abstract

People who are extrinsically motivated are negatively stereotyped and are viewed less positively compared to those who are intrinsically motivated. As a result, individuals can strategically express their intrinsic motivation as an impression management tactic to gain more favorable evaluations from others. Aside from direct expressions, one can also achieve the same goal of signaling his or her intrinsic motivation through demeaning extrinsic motivation (e.g., “being motivated by money is meaningless!”). In the present research, we document this prevalent yet understudied phenomenon and investigate its effectiveness across different contexts. Although being extrinsically motivated is found to be negatively stereotyped, we posit that demeaning extrinsic motivation leads to even worse interpersonal outcomes, which are driven by perceptions of hypocrisy. We further find that these effects are strengthened when the focal actor is higher in socioeconomic status. In sum, although people often demean others’ extrinsic motivation in order to gain social approval, such a strategy often backfires.