Robert Saxon

Hope I'm not out of line posting an article, but I don't THINK so.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but the following article from the
Washington Post discusses the effects of external rewards -- with little
surprise for us, anyway. I like the addition of economic theory into the
story. Kinda neat.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701440.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

--Rob Saxon


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k

And from that article:

> "Human beings both want to -- and, in a deeper way, need to -- feel a sense
> of being autonomous. When someone else begins to seduce you into behaving
> with an offer of a reward, it takes away your sense of being autonomous. Now
> you are doing it for someone else."
>

Yes on that autonomy. When I am picking up socks or dirty clothes or toys
or when I'm making yet another bite to eat for Karl or Brian or all of us,
when I realize that it is *my choice* to do so, I know that there is no
greater sense of accomplishment than my choice to provide a clean space or
contribute to the nourishment of loved ones. And a happy by-product is that
I am filling my need for autonomy too by choosing to do so, rather than
saying to myself that these things are inevitable.

Which is why I don't need payment in order to motivate me to clean my house
or make art.

Autonomy is having the ability to acknowledge my freedom of choice.

But anyone can pay me to clean my house or make art (not that I'm asking),
as long as it's not an obligation to keep it up. ;)

~Katherine





On 7/31/08, Robert Saxon <TheSaxons@...> wrote:
>
> Hope I'm not out of line posting an article, but I don't THINK so.
>
> I know I'm preaching to the choir, but the following article from the
> Washington Post discusses the effects of external rewards -- with little
> surprise for us, anyway. I like the addition of economic theory into the
> story. Kinda neat.
>
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701440.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns
>
> --Rob Saxon
>


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