Episode 9

The entire focus of Survivor is to have individuals live without life’s comforts and compete for the chance to win a grand prize. The biggest motivator here is to win the million-dollar prize by being the last one standing. As in our textbook, the participants are motivated by the idea of receiving a reward – whether it is extrinsic or intrinsic.

Extrinsic rewards are given from the environment around a person. The long-term extrinsic reward – and the biggest motivator – is the winning of a million dollars. Every participant on the show hopes to get his or her shot at this. On the other hand, the short term extrinsic rewards would be winning the weekly challenges that result in being given comfort items, such as beddings/shelter equipment or food.

In this episode, the entire tribe is split into two groups where they balance on a beam and try and knock each other off. The host explains that the reward for the winning group is riding on a yacht with food and drinks. In detail, he lists the type of food that will be available to them which elicits a very expressive group reaction. It is clear that every person wants to win in order to eat a good meal, especially because food is so scarce to come by. Another example of an extrinsic reward would be the immunity necklace that is won by a particular individual. In this episode, Baylor surprisingly wins this reward, saving her from elimination.

In order to stay in this game and avoid being eliminated, it’s important to make alliances and form groups to work together. From Schutz’s Theory of Interpersonal Needs, I believe that the need for control and inclusion are why the players work in groups. Strong-headed people such as Jeremy and Jon look to the group for support and firmly believe that by being the ‘top dog’ in the group, they will be able to sway the group decisions. In particular, Jon does this by communicating with Missy – whom I feel has a need for inclusion – to eliminate and blindside Jeremy. I believe that Missy and Baylor have a need for inclusion in their alliances. They seem to want to be accepted by others, enjoying trust and encouragement from their team members – especially from Jon.

Overall, Jon is taking huge steps to become a major player in this game. I was completely shocked when he and Jaclyn voted Jeremy off, especially when Jeremy had just given up the food reward for them. Although I did like Jon and Jaclyn in the beginning of the game, seeing them turn their backs on an alliance and someone who seemed to be a great friend was extremely frustrating.