Today's incentives for a job well done

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a fellow Marine staff NCO about "incentives" for a job well done. He and I joined the Marine Corps around the same time, and we both agreed our incentive to do a good job was little more than the boss giving us a pat on the back. We didn't then, nor do we now, have award or trinket fixation when doing our job.

It's sad that the same cannot be said for what seems like the vast majority of today's youth (wow do I feel old saying that). Nowadays, just to get someone to do their job to a basic level, there has to be some kind of tangible incentive in it for them over and above their base pay and benefits.

This is a completely foreign concept to me. To what does it speak though? Does it speak to how parents raise their children? Or does it speak to the influence TV has on how children are raised?

If this shift has occurred in less than 15 years, I'm honestly worried about the shift over the next 15 years.

Thoughts?