Intrinsic motivation is defined as the inherited tendency to seek out challenges, extend one's capacity, to explore and to learn.

• A. The inherited tendency to seek out challenges, extend one's capacity, to explore and to learn
• B. The drive to achieve external rewards
• C. The motivation to avoid punishment
• D. The obligation to fulfill duties

Answer: (A)

Intrinsic motivation is the internal drive to engage in activities for their own sake, fueled by curiosity, interest, and the pleasure of mastering new skills. The description of seeking out challenges, extending one’s capacity, exploring, and learning fits this inner impulse to grow and learn from within rather than for external rewards. Choices that mention external rewards, avoiding punishment, or fulfilling duties reflect motivations driven by outside outcomes or obligations, not the self-driven curiosity at the heart of intrinsic motivation. In educational and clinical settings, nurturing this internal drive helps sustain engagement, deeper understanding, and lasting change by supporting autonomy, competence, and curiosity.