the effects of cognitive evaluation theory on Peggy

What is cognitive evaluation theory?

Under the branch of self-determination theory, cognitive evaluation theory deals mainly with intrinsic motivation and the effects external factors have on the processing of intrinsic motivation. Rather than assuming that certain external factors will have an effect while other factors may not, cognitive evaluation theory assumes ALL external factors have an effect, but it is not all used in the same way. For example, if a 7th grader who enjoys math receives a 90 on their test, and the teacher says, “This was the best grade in the class, good job!” It will increase their perceived sense of competence, and confirm their intrinsic motivation in doing math. However, if the teacher hands it back and says, “You got a 90 but you usually get a 100 so I know you can do better,” this leaves the student with a feeling of incompetence. Though they are still good at math and still enjoy the subject, the external pressure to do better in the future affects how they will study and take the next test. It, effectively, decreases their intrinsic motivation as the external factor of a grade becomes more important.

In order to explain the way external factors can be internalized in different ways, cognitive evaluation theory establishes a spectrum of extrinsic motivation types. To start, external regulation does not include any intrinsic desire. External regulation is entirely dictated by outside factors or prompts, like an upcoming test, or a paycheck. A person with external regulation will wait until the last second or until they have to do something before starting a task. It’s at the end of the spectrum with non-self-determined external motivation, and it results in the worst overall function and personal wellbeing. Next, there is introjected regulation, which has to do with feelings of should/should not or good vs bad. It is internalized in the sense that a person will change their internal motivations, but it’s out of a place of guilt or expectation based on societal standards. It’s not autonomous because it’s not a person’s true desires, even if it’s what they “want” to do to avoid the consequences. Then there is identified regulation. This type of extrinsic motivation is usually used in pursuit of their intrinsic desires, but it’s still not fully autonomous or internalized. For instance, if someone makes the decision to get up early and exercise before work everyday, even though they don’t particularly enjoy it, they’re operating on the fact that exercise has many physical and mental benefits. Eventually, the consistent decision to exercise becomes an internalized desire on its own, even though it’s still not something they intrinsically enjoy. Finally, there is integrated regulation, which is the most autonomous form of extrinsic motivation. Integration, as opposed to internalization, requires self-examination and a higher sense of self-determination because it means to take in external factors and actually work towards changing one’s internal motivators. In general, integrated regulation results in the highest amounts of overall wellbeing and performance compared with other extrinsic motivation types.

Ultimately, cognitive evaluation theory can be used as a predictor in the way external factors will affect a person’s intrinsic desires, based on the delivery of external information. The four types of external motivation all affect people at one point or another, however, with identified and integrated regulation, a person is able to recognize the ways in which external motivators can be used in a self-determined, autonomous way. It doesn’t fully eliminate extrinsic pressure, but it can help a person parse out the full extent of extrinsic pressure.

 

How does this affect our character?

Now, when talking about Peggy Olson, I chose cognitive evaluation theory because her historical place and time often resulted in external factors that outweighed her intrinsic desires. At the beginning of the show, Peggy is a 21-year old young woman, working in Manhattan, as a secretary for one of the leading men in their advertising agency. Peggy is bright and good at her job, but there are several other expectations for a secretary in her position. We find out more about Peggy’s home life through the course of the show that impacts her personality at work. For example, the fact that she is from Brooklyn (not Manhattan,) that her father died when she was 12, and that she has grown up in a staunchly Catholic household, with an overbearing mother to boot. When she first arrives, she’s seen as self-righteous and a prude. Most of the other women in the office, unless they are married, are essentially encouraged to flaunt their sexuality and femininity, and this is strictly against the household Peggy’s grown up in. In many ways in the first season, Peggy exhibits an introjected sense of motivation. She has ideas of what a “good girl” does and does not do. She has conflicting ideas about what she SHOULD do in her position: brush off advances from the men in the office, allow herself to be taken advantage of, or risk losing her job because she does not fit in. When, through talent and luck, Peggy is made a junior copywriter, her set of external motivation changes. She’s still operating with introjected motivation, but now it’s based on the assumption that she should “act like a man” for the men to take her seriously. When it becomes apparent that they will never see her as a man and she’s losing the respect of the other women in the office by acting like one, Peggy realizes that certain external factors (mainly, being a woman in an incredibly misogynistic field) will never change, and so her extrinsic sense of motivation has to function differently to complete her intrinsically motivated goals.
Through the rest of the show, Peggy slowly shifts more towards integrated motivation. By the end, she has largely redefined what traits she finds valuable and what extrinsic pressure she responds to. For the most part, the main reward is a growing sense of recognition in the form of the accounts she’s able/allowed to take on, and her upward mobility within the company. However, this directly relates to her overall sense of autonomy, especially as a woman, as well as her perceived competence in the world of advertising. The extrinsic motivation goes from wanting to keep her job, wanting to be taken seriously, wanting to take on more responsibility, and finally, wanting to maintain her position as a creative director and simply make great ads. Throughout, her intrinsic motivation remains the same, a love and appreciation for the ability to make good advertising campaigns, but her sense of internalization when it comes to external motivation has to develop in order for her to develop personally.