MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Five takeaways:

1. Points, games, adventure: the writer of this article turned to the “gamification” of parenting to incentivize good behavior from his children. Borrowing from fantasy books and video games, he would create quests and have his children compete for “experience points”—or XP— that could be redeemed for rewards.
2. Initially, it worked. The children’s behavior changed for the better. But quickly, the author and his wife began worrying that they were perpetuating– and bringing into the home– the near inescapable onslaught of quantification and competition that shape behaviors (grades, social media likes, performance reviews).
3. The worry is the replacement of sources of motivation. External motivators like XP are like the short-term, high-carb-candy-bar version of motivation. Eventually, there’s a crash– and motivation can wane.
4. Here we encounter self-determination theory that argues that motivation arises when individuals fulfill three basic needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. If these three needs are met, there is no need for an external reward.
5. Additionally, an overreliance on external rewards not only impedes kids from motivating themselves but also could make them feel like their parent’s love is conditional. The kids will begin conflating the reward with their parents’ love. It is better to create an environment where creativity and curiosity drive positive engagement in children.

From Josh Wilbur at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

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