Leveraging intrinsic motivation through para social relationships to influence purchase decisions

Motivated behaviour is a complex process that involves the identification of a threat or challenge, selecting an appropriate response, acting independently, and exercising self-control. The article discusses the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how it can be leveraged to influence consumer purchase decisions through parasocial relationships. It employs a theoretical approach, drawing on existing theories and research on motivation, attribution theory, and the role of para-social relationships in consumer decision-making.

Motivated behaviour is driven by internal goals that are explicitly and voluntarily adopted by an individual. In this context, motivation refers to the internal drives, desires, or preferences that govern behaviour and reasoning. Motivation is seen as a key component to voluntarily adopt and destroy goals, rather than simply being obligated to do so (Luck & d’Inverno, 1998). Goals give clarity to motivation and provide a target to direct energy and actions. The Goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham, 1990) states that specific and challenging goals enhance motivation and performance.

Different types of motivation

Motivation can be classified into two main types: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to engaging in an activity for the inherent pleasure and satisfaction derived from participation rather than for any external rewards or pressure. Intrinsic motivation is stimulated by perceptions of the social environment, such as feelings of interest and enjoyment, perceptions of competence and effort, autonomy and self-control (Vallerand, 1997).

Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, involves engaging in an activity to obtain separable outcomes, such as rewards or fear of punishment. Extrinsic motivation is stimulated by external factors such as incentives, feedback, constraints, and deadlines. These external factors undermine intrinsic motivation, as shown in research (Deci, 1971), where providing monetary rewards for an interesting activity leads to a decrease in subsequent intrinsic motivation for an activity.

Motivation exists at three hierarchical levels of generality or the degree of broadness or specificity inferred from patterns of behaviour.

• Personality level refers to a general motivational orientation to interact with the environment in an intrinsic or extrinsic way.
• Contextual level refers to motivation within specific life contexts such as education, interpersonal relationships, and leisure activities.
• Situational level refers to motivation toward a specific task or activity at a particular moment in time. The consequences of situational motivation are experienced at the situational level, such as feelings of satisfaction, levels of attention, and persistence for a particular task (Vallerand, 1997).

Motivation at a higher level in the hierarchy influences motivation at the next lower level. The top-down effect means that goals and motivational factors at a higher level of the hierarchy can enhance motivation at the next lower level. Additionally, the model also proposes that different types of motivation, such as intrinsic motivation (engaging in an activity for pleasure) and extrinsic motivation (engaging in an activity to obtain an external reward), can lead to different motivational outcomes, with intrinsic motivation generally producing the most positive outcomes (Vallerand, 1997).

Intrinsic motivation is measured by the amount of time or effort a person spends on an activity during a free choice period, without any external rewards. The higher the time or effort, the higher the intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation on the other hand is measured by the introduction of external rewards, such as money or verbal reinforcement. If the external rewards decrease the intrinsic motivation, then that indicates extrinsic motivation was a stronger factor (Deci, 1971).

The intrinsic motivation of maintaining a para-social relationship without a perk

The intrinsic motivation behind managing a para-social relationship on social networks often stems from the personal satisfaction and fulfilment experienced when engaged in one-sided, yet emotionally meaningful, connections with public figures, celebrities or influencers. People tend to see themselves differently in different social contexts and roles, expressing various attributes depending on the situational affordances and constraints. Situational factors and role changes lead to changes in how individuals describe themselves, but they also maintain a core set of personality traits that remain consistent over time and across roles (Roberts & Donahue, 1994). The relationship between personality traits and intrinsic motivation is well-established. Studies have found that certain personality traits, such as extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness, are positively associated with higher levels of intrinsic motivation (Tlili, et al., 2019). These personality traits shape emotional investment, interaction style, and long-term commitment to one-sided para-social relationships.

(Tlili, et al., 2019) also found that only the personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness affected the perceived level of intrinsic motivation in a self-determined learning environment. Specifically, individuals high in extraversion tend to have greater intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation and actively follow, comment on, and engage with social content. Those high in conscientiousness are more likely to have the intrinsic motivation to know and experience the lives of their influencers and maintain them with loyalty and dedication (Knežević & Jasmina, 2013).

According to (Vallerand, 1997) psychological needs and personality traits are related, and both represent different levels of abstraction for the construct of motivation. Furthermore, according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), intrinsic motivation is fuelled by the satisfaction of three core psychological needs (Deci, Ryan, & Wright, Self-Determination Theory, 2015).

Para-social relationships on social networks fulfil some of these needs:

• Autonomy: Based on personal fulfilment and emotional satisfaction individuals perceive a sense of autonomy in choosing who to follow and engage with on social media. Factors like emotional connection, identity exploration, intellectual curiosity, and the need for social belonging play a role in choosing who to follow. The freedom to select and control this one-sided relationship enhances the sense of intrinsic motivation.
• Relatedness: Social networks provide a sense of relatedness and connectedness. Individuals feel they “know” the celebrity or influencer through consistent engagement with their social media posts, videos, and other content. This perceived relationship often satisfies the need to feel socially connected.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within, but social factors can influence it by affecting how people interpret their actions. According to attribution theory, intrinsic motivation increases when people attribute their success or failure to causes that are internal (like their ability or effort), stable (unlikely to change), and controllable (things they can influence). When individuals see these factors as the reasons for their outcomes, they are more motivated to keep working on a challenging task.

Success is viewed as the pride or positive feelings from achieving a challenging task, attributed to internal, controllable factors like effort rather than external ones like luck. In contrast, failure is linked to either lack of effort, a controllable cause that triggers anger but increases motivation, or lack of ability, an uncontrollable cause that leads to feelings of sympathy or pity and lower motivation (Weiner, 2012).

Key attributions that play a role in maintaining a para-social relationship are:

• Expectancy of success: Socially influenced attributions like greater pride and self-esteem motivate one to maintain and persist in the relationship.
• Attributions of controllability: Controllable causes lead to attributions of personal responsibility and evoke emotions like anger, while uncontrollable causes lead to attributions of no responsibility and evoke emotions like sympathy.
• Causal schemata: Rules used to relate causes to effects shape causal beliefs and influence motivation to persist in the relationship.

A sense of belonging, autonomy-supportive environments and positive social influence intrinsic motivation. It further fosters internal satisfaction, personal growth, and a sense of shared purpose. This explains why individuals remain deeply committed to activities they perceive meaningful, even when external rewards are not present like in a para-social relationship.

Para socially hacking consumer decision making through intrinsic motivation

Consumer decision making can be described by the attribution theory, which examines how consumers interpret and make sense of the causes behind their decisions and behaviors. The attribution process in consumer decision making involves consumers asking questions to understand the reasons behind their choices (Mizerski, Golden, & Kernan, 1979).

Attribution theory suggests that consumers use causal inferences to establish the validity of their perceptions and that different attributions can influence actual purchase activity. The theory focuses on the process by which consumers interpret their environment, rather than what they do behaviorally with those attributions. Consumers make attributions from incoming external stimuli either through the full covariance approach or, if the situation is readily generalizable to past experiences, by calling on their repertoire of causal schemata. Beliefs are then formed as an output of the attribution process, and these beliefs have a different impact on the next stage depending on how important the decision is to the consumer (Mizerski, Golden, & Kernan, 1979).

Object perception plays a crucial role in person perception, especially when it comes to making dispositional or trait attributions about a person based on their brand or product choices.

Understanding how people behave and perceive themselves in different social roles helps explain why they may value certain traits more in one setting than another (Roberts & Donahue, 1994). Consequently, fostering strong brand knowledge and educating consumers, improves consumer perception and increases purchase intentions. Consumer education and brand awareness work together to shape brand associations. When consumers are more aware of a brand’s personality traits such as its symbolic meaning and emotional value, they form deeper, longer-lasting connections that go beyond the product’s functional benefits (Rajagopal, 2017).

Intrinsic motivation, driven by factors like autonomy and relatedness, fostered in a para social relationship can be leveraged to influence purchase decisions by creating a deep emotional connection between consumers and the brand. When consumers feel a personal bond with their media figure, their internal motivations align with the values and lifestyle portrayed by that figure, driving purchase intentions based on personal identification rather than external incentives. This emotional attachment leads to more meaningful and long-lasting brand engagement.

This article is primarily conceptual, and future research could empirically investigate the specific mechanisms and strategies for leveraging parasocial relationships to enhance intrinsic motivation and influence consumer behaviour.

References

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