My first impulse when i hear people say they will continue working and never retire (like my dad) is to think "wow, what an incredible lack of imagination"

But the reality is that people are not all motivated by the same things. Dan Pink falls into the trap of assuming that they do - mastery, control and purpose.

Human nature is more subtle than that, people have a wide array of motivations may of which have little or nothing to do with work, some of which are in opposition to work.

I would urge members of this forum to read up a bit more on the more recent psychology research on motivation, in particular Dr Steven Reiss.

Some of the things that motivate people that relate directly to work are:

a desire for order

a desire to win

a desire for status

a desire to learn and experience more

a desire to control

and people vary in how much these things are important to them. Some people just arent motivated to learn more, or to achieve greater status.

other desires can be directly opposed to most work situations:

desire for physical activity

desire for food

desire for for sex

desire for peace and quiet

desire for family

everyone has these desires, but in different proportions. Frequently we have strong desires that are in conflict, for example many people experience a conflict between their desire for family, spending time with family, nurturing family relationships and so on, and a desire to achieve in their chosen work. These conflicts are staples of art and literature but sadly lacking in Dan Pink's little effort.