Open AccessTHE CONTENT AND ROLE OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION IN CREATIVE WORK: THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEKING “ENJOYMENT”
Author(s) -
Chairin An
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
creativity studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 9
eISSN - 2345-0487
pISSN - 2345-0479
DOI - 10.3846/cs.2019.6451
Subject(s) - intrinsic motivation , psychology , work motivation , social psychology , work (physics) , entertainment , audience measurement , self determination theory , advertising , business , political science , engineering , mechanical engineering , autonomy , law
The present paper assesses the “content” and “role” of intrinsic motivation during the creative production process. Based on semi-structured interviews with 16 light-entertainment television producers-directors in South Korea, it was observed that intrinsic motivation towards creative work included a desire to maintain enjoyment from such activities. Enjoyment was classified into two types: enjoyment based on job expectations and enjoyment based on the actualization of individual creative ambitions. Additionally, intrinsic motivation tended to provide a strong buffer against unfavourable working conditions that resulted from market principles (viewership ratings), economic stability, and work-life balance. Overall, the present results suggest that creative workers’ tendencies to endure various undesirable working conditions are based on a strong intrinsic motivation to maintain enjoyment from their career.