Intrinsic VS extrinsic Orientation and Job Satisfaction

1 .Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational job components on work

attitudes and work satisfaction. The intrinsic components refer to job
content factors such as the nature of the work, achievement,
responsibility and growth in skill while the extrinsic components refer
to job context factors such as working conditions, salary, security, and
co-worker relations.
2 . An orientation toward one or the other types of motivational
factors relates to the fulfilment
3. Baically the intrinsic factors in contributing to worker satisfaction.
Their basic contention is that the healthy individual desires to mature
and to develop and use his native abilities to the fullest extent.
4. According to this view, all individuals are motivated towards
personal growth, the fulfilment of which leads to the highest level of
satisfaction. Some individuals, however, because of situational
variables, insecurity or other personality factors, would not be able to
achieve self-actuaiisation. For them, satisfying security needs and
adjusting to their present situations would be of prime importance;
they would not, however, be able to achieve the same level of
satisfaction as those who have the chance to fulfil their needs for selfactualisation.
5. In general their findings indicate that the extrinsic job components
(especially pay and security) were chosen as more important than the
intrinsic ones at the lower job levels, while the intrinsic components
were emphasised more at the higher job levels.

6 . This view is the assumption of the drive theorist, implying that the
self-actualising motives are based on higher order reinforcement
stemming ultimately from primary drives
7. Those who support tbe view that the intrinsic factors are not
necessarily a source of satisfaction imply that some individuals can be
content with satisfying only the needs underlying the extrinsic factors;
consequently the orientation towards tbe intrinsic or extrinsic factors
does not make any difference in tbe level of satisfaction.
8. If employees in low level jobs rated the extrinsic factors as more
important than the intrinsic factors, the conclusion drawn was that
employees of low level jobs would receive greater satisfaction from
tbe extrinsic job factors than from the intrinsic job factors. However,
many studies lack any comparison of the levels of satisfaction of the
intrinsically oriented groups witb those of the extrinsically oriented
ones.
9. The general hypothesis of the study was that those who were
intrinsicaJly oriented would show higher levels of general satisfaction
than those who were extrinsically oriented. The hypothesis does not
specify that the extrinsically oriented would not be satisfied but only
that their level of satisfaction would be lower.