Intrinsischer

Intrinsischer is the attributive form of the German adjective intrinsisch, meaning intrinsic or inherent. It describes qualities that belong to a thing by its nature, rather than arising from external factors. The term is commonly used in academic and scientific contexts to distinguish internal, essential aspects from external influences.

Etymology and usage context: Intrinsisch originates from Latin intrinsecus and entered German through historical linguistic contact, becoming a standard term in philosophy, psychology, physics, economics and related fields. It is paired with nouns such as Wert (value), Motivation, Eigenschaften (properties) or Reiz to denote what is intrinsic to the object or system being described. The related term extrinsisch denotes external or outside factors.

Common contexts: In philosophy and ethics, intrinsische Werte and intrinsische Eigenschaften refer to attributes that are inherent to an entity. In psychology, intrinsische Motivation describes motivation driven by internal satisfaction rather than external rewards. In science and engineering, intrinsische Eigenschaften can denote fundamental characteristics of materials or systems, as opposed to extrinsische Einflüsse like environment or usage conditions.

Grammar and examples: Like other German adjectives, intrinsisch is declined to agree with the noun. Examples include: ein intrinsischer Wert, intrinsische Eigenschaften, das intrinsische Problem, die intrinsische Motivation. The form intrinsischer may appear as the masculine nominative or as part of the comparative construction (more intrinsic).

See also: extrinsisch, intrinsic value, intrinsic motivation.