About this Assignment
In this course, you learned that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can determine the outcome of completing a task. You also learned that setting appropriate goals and learning how to disengage from following other goals can be important in improving your well-being and pursuing happiness and personal growth. In a 2000-3000 word essay, you will present one intrinsic and one extrinsic goal from your own life and evaluate them through the lenses of psychological theories.
Project Prompt
For this assignment, you must write a 2,000-3,000 word essay that presents and analyzes one intrinsic and one extrinsic goal in your own life. Using the definitions you learned in this course, you must explain what makes them intrinsic and extrinsic. Some intrinsic goals may include keeping a daily journal or exercising regularly. Extrinsic goals may include achieving a certain GPA or a job promotion.
After presenting and explaining each goal, you must explain how you plan to achieve happiness and growth, using the theories of Maslow, Rogers, and Seligman as a foundation. Additionally, you must conduct external research and incorporate at least three peer-reviewed journal articles to supplement your analysis and support your argument.
How has the pursuit of these goals affected you psychologically, whether positively or negatively? How do these theories shed light on the real-life value of these goals? Make sure that your essay includes an original, defensible thesis that explains the what, how, and why of your goals.
You must include a Works Cited section in APA style, as well as in-text citation throughout your essay. This reference section does not count toward the 2000-3000 word requirement.
Related Lessons
The following lessons from the course may help you with this assignment.
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Definition, Theory & Pyramid
- Humanistic Psychology & Carl Rogers’ Theory of Personality
- Positive Psychology: Optimism, Self-Efficacy & Happiness
- Intrinsic Motivation in Psychology: Definition, Examples & Factors
- Extrinsic Motivation in Psychology: Definition, Examples & Types
Formatting & Sources
Please write your paper in APA format. As part of your research, you may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least three credible, outside sources and cite them using APA format as well. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in APA (including the lesson title and instructor’s name).
- Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.
- Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Management. You may use also use databases like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and Social Science Research Network to find articles from scholarly journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.) These scholarly (i.e., journal articles) sources should represent your primary sources of evidence-based information in order to write your essay.
If you’re unsure about how to use APA format for your paper and sources, please see the following lessons:
Grading Rubric
Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:
| Category | Unacceptable (0-2) | Needs Improvement (3-6) | Good (7-8) | Excellent (9-10) | Total Possible Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis (x1) | Thesis is missing | Thesis lacks extrinsic and intrinsic life goals or is not well-researched | Thesis adequately states the student’s extrinsic and intrinsic life goals and research-based argument | Thesis clearly states the student’s extrinsic and intrinsic life goals and research-based argument | 10 |
| Application (x2.5) | Psychological theories are not addressed | 1-2 psychological theories are defined but not connected to real-life applications | 2-3 psychological theories are clearly defined, explained, and tied to real-life applications | 3+ psychological theories are clearly defined, thoroughly explained, and tied to real-life applications in an original, defensible way | 25 |
| Analysis (x2) | No research examples are used to support arguments; analysis is missing or incorrect | 1-2 research examples are given to support main points; analysis is shallow | 2-3 research examples are given to support most points, but not all; analysis lacks originality | 3+ main points are supported with research; analysis is original and insightful and clearly connected to the thesis | 20 |
| Structure (x1) | Structure is illogical or significantly hinders understanding | Arguments are difficult to identify; ideas are disjointed | Evidence is provided & is relevant to the thesis, but transitions and connections are lacking | Arguments are well integrated; ideas flow logically; main points are identifiable | 10 |
| Mechanics (x0.5) | Incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, citations, and use of standard English grammar hinder understanding | Several errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, citations, and usage of standard English grammar | Few (2-3) errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, citations, and usage of standard English grammar | No or very few instances (0-1) of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, citations, and usage of standard English grammar | 5 |
| Total Points | 70 |
Before You Submit
When you are done writing your essay, we suggest taking some time to check for any errors or to add some final touches. We also suggest that you use online plagiarism checkers such as PlagScan or DupliChecker to make sure that your essay is not too similar to any existing materials. Plagiarized submissions will NOT be graded.
