── ── Mental model
Intrinsic Drive
Intrinsic motivation is a portfolio of distinct sources — not a binary switch. Drive collapse is almost always cluster-specific depletion, not total failure. Four clusters: Cluster 1 Life Force (passion, grit, dream); Cluster 2 Goals (desire to succeed, self-proving) — most fragile, deflates when a goal is achieved or lost; Cluster 3 Cognition & Engagement (curiosity, embracing challenge); Cluster 4…
How it works
Gate: If every cluster rates ≤2 with no identifiable activation source, apply the stop-rule before designing experiments.
1. Audit all four clusters. Rate current activation 1–5 for each source (current state, not past state). 2. Identify the lowest-rated cluster — current portfolio vulnerability. 3. What would reactivate a source in that cluster? C1: small passion connection. C2: meaningful new/renovated goal. C3: curiosity-driven exploration. C4: mission connection or excellent people. 4. Design one 30-day experiment — specific + bounded: not "reconnect with mission" but "every Monday 30 min reading about downstream impact on [specific group]." 5. Audit again at 30 days. Iterate quarterly.
Stop-rule: All clusters ≤2 over 3+ months with no experiment activating any source → evaluate domain mismatch.
When to use it
- persistent going-through-the-motions
- sudden unexplained performance decline
- post-achievement flatness
- early burnout signals
- "how do I keep going when feedback is absent?" When NOT to use:** clinical depression/burnout
- external constraints block execution
When not to use it
When the decision is routine and reversible, applying a formal method costs more than it returns.
Worked example
Marie Curie's Motivational Architecture (1891–1934)
Marie Curie's sustained drive over 43 years of scientific work — through conditions that would have defeated most — provides the clearest documented example of a multi-cluster intrinsic drive portfolio.
Install this skill (free, MIT)
npx skills add deciqAI/knowledge-skills