Obviously, when it comes to injury prevention, self-directed behavior is more desirable. In this state individuals choose the safe way when they perform alone. So how do we promote self-persuasion, and move employees from other-directed to self-directed behavior? This article discusses the role of incentives and disincentives in facilitating or inhibiting self-persuasion and self-directed behavior.
(I define self-persuasion as an internal
dialogue or mental script that supports our ongoing behavior and motivates continued participation in the absence of external contingencies. Such behavior is self-directed and self-motivated.)
Numerous experiments have demonstrated the superior influence of small over large incentives. Let’s examine the classic study conducted by Leon Festinger and Merrill Carlsmith in 1959. They paid college students either $20 or $1 to tell another student a boring task they just performed was actually fun.
Which incentive influenced more self-persuasion that the task was not as boring as it seemed? Yes, the lower incentive facilitated more self-persuasion, presumably because the subjects paid $1 had less external motive to call a dull task fun. With only minimal incentive to tell a lie, they convinced themselves the task was really not that boring. In contrast, the $20 group had an excuse for lying and did not need to change their perceptions of the task.