There are two types of motivation. The first type is intrinsic motivation—sometimes referred to as organic or natural motivation. It stems from a person’s innate or internal desire to complete a task or achieve a goal simply because it’s enjoyable or important to them.
For a student, that might mean being inspired to do their own research or complete a project because it strikes their curiosity in a natural way. The positive effects of intrinsic motivation tend to be long lasting.
The second type of motivation is extrinsic. With extrinsic motivation, tasks or goals are completed to earn an external reward.
For example, a student might be motivated to get an A in math in exchange for a new video game. Punishments such as taking away a cell phone can sometimes motivate. The downside of these methods is that behavior changes or goals achieved through extrinsic motivation tend to be short-term.