Is There a Connection between Extrinsic Motivation and Depression in Children? The Importance of Free Play, Deep Play and Self Education
Extrinsic Motivation is the little red carrot that we hold out before our donkeys to get them to move ahead. It is something teachers have turned into the holy grail of education. Do your homework, study hard and you will get the job with the six figure income. Does Extrinsic Motivation have Anything to do with Depression in Children? Peter Gray certainly thinks so. In an article published in Psychology Today Gray makes an intriguing connection between depression in children and the growth of mandatory schooling. When anxiety and stress levels in a particular country rise during a certain time period, this rise is usually correlated with the uncertainties and events of the larger world. Often, macrocosmic larger world issues affect microcosmic local settings. Such, however, is not the case with the increasing rates of depression and anxiety among young people. According to Gray, the changes in the rates do not synchronize with economic cycles, wars or world events that one would assume would affect the mental states of children. In fact, rates of anxiety and depression among young people were far lower during the Depression, World War 2 and the Cold War or even the turbulent 60's and 70's than they are today in our 21st century. What is the Cause of this Rise in Depression and Anxiety? It may be connected with the way schooling has taken over the lives of our young people, the way our social commitment to educate the young with the values of a "progressive" agenda has warped our children's sense of self and control over their own lives. It may be connected with the way schooling has diminished the child's prerogative for free play and deep play, the kind that restores the balance of body,soul,mind and spirit through the generosity of the timeless moment. In his article, Gray presents indisputable evidence showing a decline in the way our young people feel they have personal control over their lives. A study which analyzed young people (children 9-14 and college students) from 1960 to 2002 reveals that a dramatic shift has taken place in their sense of personal and internal control. In the 1960's, 80% of young people felt that they had personal control and ownership of their lives; in 2002, less than 20% felt this sense of autonomy. During the same 42 year time span, a similar trend is seen in the rise of depression and anxiety in this same age group. As a child of the sixties, I can well understand this shift. Those were the days of the Flower Children, the foot-loose, fancy free incarnations of the Earth Gods and Goddesses. Yes, they were anti-establishment and yes, they were wild, but they created and carried their own signatures. And this might have made all the difference. According to Gray, "when people believe that they have little or no control over their fate they become anxious." Perhaps our 21st century children have been schooled towards helplessness. Extrinsic Motivation and Intrinsic Motivation How is schooling responsible for extrinsic motivation and depression in children? Extrinsic motivation comes from the expectation of material rewards or public recognition. Gray refers to it as action predicated on high income, high status or good looks. According to researcher J. Twenge, young people today are " more oriented towards extrinsic goals and less oriented towards intrinsic goals than they were in the past." A poll of college freshmen showed that most were more interested in financial security than developing a " meaningful philosophy of life." The reverse was true in the 60's and 70's when young people were united philosophically against what they conceived to be socially, morally and politically untenable. Intrinsic goals are also more spiritually inclined. The whole momentum towards peace and meditation during the 60's and 70's emerged from the Flower Children. Free Play and Deep Play At the same time Gray points to the decline in children's freedom to play and explore the world on their own terms, without adult supervision and direction. Long gone are the days when children were given the privilege to roam and play in woods and fields without fear of danger. Those were days when they could interact with nature, locate their own sacred spots as children did in the novel, Bridge to Terabithea. Overwhelmed by new terrors- pedophiles and dangers defined by liabilities - we insist that our children be driven or bussed to school. Such terrors have cut children off from an essential freedom - the freedom to play in nature. Where, then, can they discover the power of deep play? The kind that transforms a simple ramble through the woods into an affirmation of self and the world.This privilege is becoming more inaccessible to this new generation of children already spiritually and creatively diminished by technological gadgets and distractions. Gray's final suggestion is that we need to "re-think education." What do we want from our kids? Board -directed education? A three figure income? Fame? Success? At what cost? Have we all been duped by the extrinsic motivation of goals set within board directives and mission statements? We need to replace extrinsic motivation with intrinsic goals by emphasizing self-directed exploration, which suggests giving children the freedom and means to educate themselves by initiating and defining their own journeys. It means giving them the chance to wire their own brains. It means in the words of Educator Malcolm Knowles embracing the process " in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes." It means ultimately, that we give each child the chance to honor the teacher within.
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