Tony loves programming. He was on the ground level of the computer revolution. This year his boss has set personal goals for each of the programmers, one of which includes a presentation from each programmer about a project. Tony is very annoyed because he has a tremendous amount of work to do and he'll have to spend the weekend, his personal time, preparing the presentation. Taking into account self-determination theory, why did his boss' goals and the presentation reduce Tony's motivation?
A) The externally imposed goal feels coercive, causing Tony's intrinsic motivation to increase.
B) The internally imposed goal feels coercive, causing Tony's intrinsic motivation to suffer.
C) The self-imposed goal increases his sense of competence, causing the intrinsic motivation to suffer.
D) The externally imposed goal is an external reward, causing Tony's intrinsic motivation to increase.
E) The externally imposed goal feels coercive, causing Tony's intrinsic motivation to suffer.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to self-determination theory, an externally imposed goal that is perceived as coercive can reduce someone's intrinsic motivation. As the goal to give a presentation is coming from Tony's boss and he feels like it is being forced upon him, it is likely reducing his intrinsic motivation to work on the project.

Tony Loves Programming