I really, really dislike other people telling me what to do. In fact, I’ve sometimes done things because other people told me that I couldn’t do them (motivation through pride) or shouldn’t do them (motivation through spite). I think this goes for a lot of intelligent people, unless they are working for something which aligns with their values, or for people who they like. I’m often more motivated to help my friends than I am to help myself.
So, this solution works for most people, but it doesn’t generalize to people like myself who have a high need of agency and feel unfairly compensated (being twice as good of a worker rarely results in twice the salary). And I think this problem is at its worst when I interpret the actions I must take in my life as originating from the outside (society saying I need to work) rather than as being my own choice (Me choosing to work because I think it’s best).
Alternative sources of motivation I’ve seen work in other people is morality (e.g. wanting the world to be better), hopes/dreams for the future (this is vulnerable to doubt, however), the sense of duty, sheer love for the work at hand, and putting oneself in a sitaution with no way out except doing the work. Alternative causes of Akrasia I’ve seen are disillusionment/nihilism, perfectionism, and fear (fear of pain, risk, the unknown, and of the feeling of cognitive load). Apathy and nihilism are both harmful to motivation as motivation is rooted in meaning and emotion.
I personally recommend decreasing ones scope of consideration to the local, where one has the most agency, and surrounding oneself with people who care a lot, as this repairs disillusionment over time
I really, really dislike other people telling me what to do. In fact, I’ve sometimes done things because other people told me that I couldn’t do them (motivation through pride) or shouldn’t do them (motivation through spite). I think this goes for a lot of intelligent people, unless they are working for something which aligns with their values, or for people who they like. I’m often more motivated to help my friends than I am to help myself.
So, this solution works for most people, but it doesn’t generalize to people like myself who have a high need of agency and feel unfairly compensated (being twice as good of a worker rarely results in twice the salary). And I think this problem is at its worst when I interpret the actions I must take in my life as originating from the outside (society saying I need to work) rather than as being my own choice (Me choosing to work because I think it’s best).
Alternative sources of motivation I’ve seen work in other people is morality (e.g. wanting the world to be better), hopes/dreams for the future (this is vulnerable to doubt, however), the sense of duty, sheer love for the work at hand, and putting oneself in a sitaution with no way out except doing the work. Alternative causes of Akrasia I’ve seen are disillusionment/nihilism, perfectionism, and fear (fear of pain, risk, the unknown, and of the feeling of cognitive load). Apathy and nihilism are both harmful to motivation as motivation is rooted in meaning and emotion.
I personally recommend decreasing ones scope of consideration to the local, where one has the most agency, and surrounding oneself with people who care a lot, as this repairs disillusionment over time
You might find this concept helpful to look into as have I: Pervasive Drive for Autonomy.