THE REAL AND IMAGINED HARMFUL EFFECTS OF REWARDS - IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL-PRACTICE

In recent years, a number of researchers and social critics have cauti oned against the widespread application of behavioral interventions on the grounds that the philosophy of behaviorism is fundamentally manip ulative and damaging to creative and intrinsically motivated behavior. Most central to their arguments are concerns about the harmful effect s of ''extrinsic'' rewards. Though concerns about the allegedly harmfu l effects of ''rewards'' on intrinsically motivated actions may have b een partially allayed by a recent meta-analysis, proponents of the vie w that intrinsic interest is eroded by the delivery of contingent rewa rds will likely continue to attest to the dangers of operant condition ing and its application to human behavior. The present manuscript addr esses the content of claims about the harmful effects of extrinsic rew ards. While consideration is given to the existing behavior therapy li terature and its treatment of ''natural'' versus ''arbitrary'' rewards , sc me surprising convergences between the views of self-determinatio n theorists and behavioral practitioners are noted. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.