Self-Determination Theory

Organismic View

- Living things differ from non-living things - Tendencies toward assimilation, accommodation, and integration - Seen also in organismic biology - "All free-living cells and organisms are clearly autonomous agents." -Kauffman

Consequences of Aspiration Attainment

- Most contemporary goal theorists suggest that people feel good when they attain their goals and that goal attainment is beneficial to psychological health - SDT argues that it is primarily when people attain intrinsic (rather than extrinsic) aspirations that they will experience more well-being and less ill-being

Within

- Move toward integration among different aspects of the psyche

Without

- Move toward integration between the self and the external world

Undermining Conditions of Intrinsic Motivation: Competence-relevant

- Non-optimal challenges - Negative feedback

The Self in SDT

- Not a concept or representation - A synthetic process involving movement toward greater unity, consistency, and coherence in the psyche - In motivational terms: actions that motivate from ____ are experienced as autonomous/volitional/choice/self-endorsed - Actions that do not emanate from ______ are experienced as control/pressure

The Nature of Basic Psychological Needs

- Not desires - Essential for growth and wellness - Universal, rather than cultural

Facilitative Conditions of Intrinsic Motivation: Competence-relevant

- Optimal challenges - Positive feedback - Informational rewards

Autonomous Causality Orientation

- Own needs as initiator of behavior - Interpretation as informational - Regulate behavior with experience of autonomy

Undermining Conditions of Intrinsic Motivation: Autonomy-relevant

- Pressure toward specific outcome - Punishment contingencies - Goal imposition - Deadlines - Ego-involvement - Controlling rewards - Surveillance

Basic Psychological Needs Theory

- Relation of psychological needs to wellness - Universality of needs across development and across cultures

Organismic Integration Theory

- Relative autonomy of extrinsic motivation - What conditions facilitate internalization of extrinsic motivation

The Undermining Experiment

- SOMA Puzzles: intrinsically motivated activity - Two conditions: reward condition told that for every puzzle completed, you will get $1; no-reward condition not told about any reward, encouraged to work - Free choice paradigm: participants allowed to do whatever they want; Deci analyzed what participants did during this stage - Results: reward condition spent less time engaged in SOMA puzzles during the free choice paradigm; no-reward condition spent more time - Interpretation: evidence for undermining of intrinsic motivation; reward shifted locus of causality and confirmed deCharms' hypothesis

External Regulation

- Salience of external rewards or punishments - External locus of causality

Introjected Regulation

- Satisfy internal contingencies; ego involvement - Somewhat external locus of causality

With Others

- Self and interpersonal world around us

Correlates of Autonomous Causality Orientation

- Self-actualization, high self-esteem, ego development, report greater willingness to support autonomy of others

Integrated Regulation

- Synthesize identifications with other aspects of self - Internal locus of causality

Correlates of Autonomous Motivation

- Task persistence and performance - Task interest, enjoyment, and creativity - Relationship quality - Psychological and physical health - Has functional benefits across development and cultures

Competence vs. Incompetence

- _____: behavior as masterful - _____: "nothing that I do is done well"

Autonomy vs. Heteronomy

- _____: experience of behavior as reflectively self-endorsed, owned, volitional, and choiceful; can be seen as emanating from the self - _____: experience of pressure/control in behavior; behavior emanating from outside the self

Relatedness vs Disconnection

- _____: experience of warm, caring, concerned, supportive relationships with others - _____: alienation

Undermining Conditions of Intrinsic Motivation: Relatedness-relevant

- "Cold" interactions - Lack of positive involvement

Need Satisfaction and Wellness

- Across domains: work, athletics, education, parenting, relationships, health - Across the lifespan: early childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age - Across cultures: Bulgaria, Russia, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, China - Across gender and social class

Organismic-Dielectic Meta-Theory

- Active vs. passive nature - Sources of energy: physiological drives, psychological needs, and emotions; can work in coherence or antagonistic - Direction of behavior: choice and volition or pressure and control - Tendency toward unity vs. fragmentation

Internalization

- Active, natural process of coming to endorse the value of an extrinsicallly motivated behavior

Self-Determination Theory

- Begins with organismic-dielectic meta-theory - Empirically based approach to motivation, emotion, and personality in social contexts - Basis for healthy functioning within ___ is satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness

Controlled Motivation

- Coerced into behavior by external or internal forces - Accompanied by experience of pressure and obligation - External regulation and introjected regulation

Goal Content Theory

- Development and correlates of life goals (aspirations)

Facilitative Conditions of Intrinsic Motivation: Relatedness-relevant

- Empathy - Warmth - Security of attachment

Autonomous Motivation

- Endorse one's behavior fully - Accompanied by experience of choice and volition - Intrinsic motivation, integrated regulation, and identified regulation

Controlled Causality Orientation

- External cues/demands as initiator of behavior - Interpretation as controlling - Regulate behavior with experience of control

Identified Regulation

- Find value/importance in an activity - Somewhat internal locus of causality

Facilitative Conditions of Intrinsic Motivation: Autonomy-relevant

- Goal choice - Strategy choice - Task involvement - Promotion of task interest

Correlates of Controlled Causality Orientation

- High levels of Type A Coronary Prone behavior patterns; low levels of ego development/self-esteem

Correlates of Impersonal Causality Orientation

- High levels of self-derogation, depression, social anxiety; low levels of ego development/self-esteem

Cognitive Evaluation Theory

- How events facilitate or undermine intrinsic motivation

Extrinsic Aspirations: Financial Success

- I will be a very wealthy person - I will have many expensive possessions

Extrinsic Aspirations: Social Recognition

- I will be admired by many people - I will be famous

Intrinsic Aspirations: Physical Health

- I will be physically healthy - I will keep myself healthy and well

Intrinsic Aspirations: Personal Growth

- I will continue to grow and learn new things - At the end of my life, I will look back on my life as meaningful and complete

Intrinsic Aspirations: Meaningful Relationships

- I will have good friends that I can count on - I will share my life with someone I love

Extrinsic Aspirations: Attractive Appearance

- I will have people comment often about how attractive I look - I will keep up with fashions in hair and clothing

Intrinsic Aspirations: Community Contributions

- I will work for the betterment of society - I will assist people who need it

deCharms' Hypothesis

- If you take an intrinsically motivated behavior and contingently reinforce it, then the perceived locus of causality will shift from internal to external - Undermines autonomy and intrinsic motivation

Causality Orientations Theory

- Individual differences in general motivational styles

Intrinsic Motivation

- Inherent satisfaction, no separable outcomes - Occurs spontaneously - Sometimes manifests as exploration or play - Phenomenological, attributional (internal perceived locus of causality), and affective (interest, excitement, and enjoyment) perspectives - Necessary for healthy development and learning - CET examines how external events facilitate or undermine __________

Impersonal Causality Orientation

- Interpretation as incompetence - Experience amotivation and passivity

Work Value Orientation and Wellness

- Intrinsic: dedication, vitality, satisfaction - Extrinsic: work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, turn-over intention

Aspirations and Wellness

- Intrinsic: self-actualization, vitality, positive affect, satisfying relationships - Extrinsic: depression, physical symptoms, narcissism

Pursuit and Attachment of Aspirations

- Life goals (or aspirations) organize and direct behavior over extended periods of time - According to SDT, not all aspirations will contribute to psychological health, even when attained