In the world we're fighting for (one without property or exchange, without classes or money, without a coercive state) the things that typically compel people to work under capitalism will have lost their hold over us. Why then, we're often asked, would anyone engage in productive labour?

Anarchists respond that people will be intrinsically motivated toward tasks which they find interesting and useful, that humans have an innate tendency toward creative, productive pursuits. To some, this makes intuitive sense. Others require a little more convincing, and it's hard to blame them. Our boilerplate response is lacking because it requires people to take for granted this proposed human tendency without an explanation of where that tendency comes from.

Without knowing it, Deci & Ryan (1985, 2000), the principal architects of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), have made progress in solving that problem. In short, SDT proposes that humans have an innate tendency toward personal growth and integration of themselves with the world around them, but that it is only realized insofar as our psychological needs for (get this:) relatedness, competence, and autonomy are satisfied. When a social context satisfies those needs, people are intrinsically motivated toward activity.People show increased well-being, greater persistence at difficult tasks, and fewer negative psychological symptoms.

By contrast, whenever those needs are unsatisfied , intrinsic motivation decreases. Interesting to note is the effect of tangible, expected rewards on people who are already intrinsically motivated toward a task. Such reward contingencies shift one's perceived locus of causality - that is, the place from which one perceives volition of their activities coming - from internal to external. This shift to external motivation undermines the satisfaction of autonomy needs, and in so doing decreases intrinsic motivation. Sounds a lot like work under capitalism!

In an anarchist society, on the other hand, no such coercive mechanisms would exist and people would be motivated toward productive tasks to gain a feeling of accomplishment (competence), as a meaningful way to socialize and connect with others (relatedness), and as a way of simply exercising their ability to act of their own volition (autonomy).

So, when asked why people in a classless society would bother "doing anything", we can respond with confidence: to satisfy their psychological needs.