Can A Reward Be A Sin?

One of the most popular ideas in psychology is that rewards can decrease intrinsic motivation and make people less likely to work for their own interests. The idea that rewards can damage intrinsic motivation has been studied extensively, but only in recent years has the claim gained widespread attention. The common argument against rewarded tasks is that when a reward changes from external to internal, people will stop working for their own interest and instead seek rewards directly.

In this article I will address the idea of whether or not a reward can be a sin. I will discuss both by claiming that there are some instances where a human being cannot do anything without an external reward and also by providing arguments defending why these claims are false. I will also explain why such arguments are fallacious.

I will post several arguments showing that although rewards are a necessary part of life, it does not follow that rewards can be a sin in and of themselves. I will discuss various sources to support this claim and give some examples where people work for rewards even though there is no external reward. Finally I will provide some explanations for why the claims that rewards can be sinful are fallacious.

What Is A Reward? [ARTICLE END] ---------------

In the spirit of the famous phrase, "A reward is what you get after you need it", let's imagine a scenario where someone gets his or her wish: Someone asks for an apple, you bring him or her one. It is a reward for their effort. This scenario is a clear example of reward as sin. If you do not keep an eye on what is going on, people will start behaving in strange ways, like the apple simply disappears when no one touches it.

What makes this metaphor so powerful as an illustration of the true nature of rewards? The reason rewards can be a sin is that they cannot exist outside a person's own experience. People cannot eat money or have it fall out of the sky to them without experience it first. It is impossible to say that anyone has felt hunger without experiencing it first and likewise impossible to say anyone has experienced pleasure without having experienced pain first.

Real World Examples [ARTICLE START]

There are many examples of people who would say that they value rewards in their lives or who would make requests that seek rewards. Consider an example where Sally, a woman in her 30's, is getting married to Bill. Sally asks Bill, "Will you be my best man?" What does this mean? There is no physical reward for being the best man and there are also no standards of excellence for that role either. The request for the role of "Best Man" has nothing to do with what Sally can get from him.

This brings up a similar example: Helen and Robert have been an item since they were teens and they have planned on getting married one day. They have always talked of having children together but Robert feels it is still too early to start a family. He proposes that Helen become his surrogate mother so that he could have a child. Helen tells him, "I will agree to be your surrogate mother but I want a better house and more time to raise the baby." It is clear from her request that she cares more about the rewards than what she hopes to gain from him.

Consider another example: A man goes into the doctor's office and says he wants a new heart implanted in him. The doctor puts the heart in and everything goes well for awhile but then he starts having chest pains. The man demands that his heart be removed and says that he no longer wants it. This is an obvious example of a person who would rather take the risk of dying than to continue living as he is.

Two other examples: A woman in her 60's needs a bone marrow transplant. She lives far from her family and finds it difficult to obtain one because she does not have her own source of donor blood to help with the process. She asks for a bone marrow donation from someone within 100 miles of her home, but what she really desires is a transplant so that she may live on. It is this desire for a reward that drives the request even though she has no reason to want it at all. A man in his 20's who works for a car rental company is on vacation and gets into an accident. He calls the rental car company and says, "I'm in an accident and it will take some time to get this thing fixed. Please send me another one just like it." What drove this request? The desire for the reward of a new car rather than receiving comfort from the idea that he would be able to drive again.

In each of these cases, it is obvious that people do not want rewards for the sake of rewards but because of what they can get from them. Therefore, it is not true that people are ever driven by rewards alone or that people only seek rewards and nothing else.

From Causes To Effect [ARTICLE BEGIN]

The example of the woman in her 60's who needs a bone marrow transplant and who is not able to obtain one because she does not have her own source of donor blood is an example where the temptation to sin is truly found in rewards. She can get a reward by stealing a donor's blood or she can get the same reward by agreeing to be a surrogate mother. The woman needs a reward to get it and once she gets it, there are no repercussions for her from doing so. Her only reason for wanting this reward is that it will make life easier for herself.

Consider another case: As mentioned before, Robert proposes to Helen that she become his surrogate mother. If he is willing to take care of her and her child for the rest of her life, then it does not make much sense why he is requesting that she becomes his surrogate mother. He has promised to take care of her and he will get whatever it is that she wants out of him. If Helen were a normal woman and not a self-centered one, she would agree to be a surrogate mother even if there was no promise from Robert to take care of her or her child.

To summarize: It is true that some people seek rewards in their lives, but they can never do so without having first experienced the much greater pain in their lives. For example, a person who is rich or who has a lot of friends cannot say that he or she has not felt loneliness or suffering. A person who has everything cannot say that he or she does not need to be rewarded for things. Rewards are always there for those who desire them but it does not mean that people do not have to experience pain in order to get rewards.

A Reward Is What You Get After You Need It [ARTICLE END]

People can never say that they have not experienced pain because the very definition of pain is what you get when you need something and it is impossible to experience anything without needing something first. A person can never say that they have not experienced pain unless it is something they never needed in the first place.

A reward always comes after a need, but this does not mean that needs come after rewards. A child is born without a need for food and without a need for pain and suffering just like animals are born without these needs because in order to have them, the child must first experience the very things he or she would be needing them for.

A man who wants to go to college must agree to do well in school in order to get accepted.

Conclusion [ARTICLE BEGIN]

People can never say that they have not experienced pain because the very definition of pain is what you get when you need something. A person can never say that they have not experienced pain unless it is something they never needed in the first place. A child is born without a need for food and without a need for pain and suffering just like animals are born without these needs because in order to have them, the child must first experience the very things he or she would be needing them for.

In order to be rich, a person must first experience being poor. In order to go to college, a person must agree to do well in school in order to get accepted.