Autotelic

“An autotelic person needs few material possessions and little entertainment, comfort, power, or fame because so much of what he or she does is already rewarding. Because such persons experience flow in work, in family life, when interacting with people, when eating, even when alone with nothing to do, they are less dependent on the external rewards that keep others motivated to go on with a life composed of routines. They are more autonomous and independent because they cannot be as easily manipulated with threats or rewards from the outside. At the same time, they are more involved with everything around them because they are fully immersed in the current of life.” – Csikszentmihalyi, 1997, p.l17

“… autotelic by nature—ie, internally driven, like missionaries. As such, they are not attracted by the material rewards that motivate ordinary folk. Their work alone provides them with all the satisfactions they need. But there is much that can be done to nurture lesser minds. And that is true not just for computer programmers.” –Economist