[mumer101]

I have this suspicion that often people who thrive at "school" suck at doing things, their whole life they are getting programmed to:

a) do things for an quick and clear reward

b) always be in extremely well defined rules (when semester starts you see how people obsess over edge cases and their impact on grade with a professor)

c) always do it for pleasing someone else and get their admiration (teachers, parents, peers, etc)

d) only be motivated by fear

In a way the better you adapt to that system the more 'slave' minded you become and only do what is asked, when rewarded, given clear instructions and a threat of leashes is near. Often Top students in HS end up mediocre at college and life.

Lack of motivation plagues them all life as they have no clear guidelines, external threats, or third person providing validation.

[kaashif]

I think being motivated by fear of being viewed as a failure can be very powerful and last far beyond school.

It's unhealthy, but I get a great deal of satisfaction when I think about others seeing me as a success. And a great deal of stress when things aren't going right, which has been a motivator for turning things around.

If at some point I fail and can't recover, my mental health would probably decline significantly.

[deterministic]

Not my experience at all. I did really well in school and yet have a lot of drive to peruse my own projects and goals. I don’t need anybody to force me to do it.

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

Mhhh I always assumed school is the most delayed reward. 20 years to get a well paying job?

[peruvian]

School, at least in the US, gives you plenty of quick rewards. In my high school, we got report cards every other week. On top of that, you get homework and quiz results back quickly as well.

While the real reward is admission to a good college, you get the feeling that you are progressing towards that goal often.

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

Mh, I wonder if it's my perception that's skewed. Like, ranks are not a reward at all, I expect something I enjoy, instead the rank was literally a "you must get a good rank or you are done for your life" kind of thing. It was no reward at all, it was _expectation_.

[mumer101]

if you asked 16 years old me why are you studying so hard, the lie would be the whole story so i can do get into college get a job etc... truth would have been so i can look good and be admired

[CogitoCogito]

I'm 37 and I'd say this is _still_ one my largest motivators.

[Fire-Dragon-DoL]

I mean, sure, but we get told the lie the whole time