The theory of self-determination

Self-determination has frequently been used in a diplomatic and political context to describe the process a country undergoes to assert its independence. However, self-determination also has a much more personal meaning and is more relevant to psychology: the ability or process to make one’s own decisions and control one’s life. In fact, self-determination is a vital piece associated with psychological well-being.

Self-determination theory suggests that people are motivated to grow and change by innate psychological needs.. The theory identifies three innate and universal psychological needs: the need for competence, the need for connection, and the need for autonomy. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation plays an important role in self-determination theory.

The meaning of self-determination theory

Self-determination theory is a theory that links personality, human motivation, and optimal functioning. It postulates that there are two main types of motivation – intrinsic and extrinsic – and that both greatly influence who we are and how we behave.

The theory of self-determination emerged from the work of researchers Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan on motivation in the seventies and eighties of the 20th century. Although it has grown and expanded since then, the basic principles of the theory come from the book that Deci and Ryan published in 1985 on the subject.

The first assumption of self-determination theory is that people are “growth-directed activities.” Gaining mastery of challenges and assimilating new experiences is essential to building a sense of self. In this sense, Deci and Ryan’s theory suggests that people act motivated by the need to grow and obtain satisfaction.

While people are motivated by the promise of external rewards, such as money, prizes or social recognition (known as extrinsic motivation), Self-determination theory focuses primarily on internal sources of motivationsuch as the need to acquire knowledge or independence (known as intrinsic motivation).

According to self-determination theory, People need to feel the following to achieve such psychological growth:

Competence: People need to master tasks and learn different skills.Connection or relationship: People need to experience a sense of belonging and attachment to other people.Autonomy: People need to feel in control of their own behaviors and goals.

Deci and Ryan suggest that, when People experience these three things, become self-determined, and may feel intrinsically motivated to pursue the things that interest them..

It’s important to put attention on The psychological growth described by self-determination theory does not occur automatically. While people may be oriented toward that growth, it requires continued sustenance. According to Deci and Ryan, social support is the key. Through our relationships and interactions with others, we can foster or thwart personal well-being and growth.

Motivation and self-determination

According to Deci and Ryan, Extrinsic motivation arises from interest in the external. Such sources include rating systems, employee evaluations, awards and praise, and the respect or admiration of others.

On the other hand, Intrinsic motivation comes from within and is closely associated with the task itself. There are internal drives that motivate us to behave in certain ways, including our core values, our interests, and our personal sense of morality.

Although it may seem that intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation are opposites, with intrinsic driving behavior in line with our “ideal self” and extrinsic driving behavior that leads us to conform to the standards of others, there is another important distinction to differentiate motivations. That’s why Self-determination theory differentiates between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation.

Autonomous motivation includes motivation that comes from internal sources, but also includes motivation from extrinsic sources. if the individual has identified with the value of an activity and feels that it aligns or is coherent with the image they want to project.

For its part, controlled motivation is made up of:

An external regulation: a type of motivation in which the individual’s behavior is directed by external rewards and punishmentsAn introjected regulation: motivation that comes from partially internalized activities and values ​​and motives such as avoiding shame, seeking approval, and protecting the ego.

According to the theory of self-determination theory, When an individual is driven by autonomous motivation, he would feel self-directed and autonomous. When the individual is driven by controlled motivation, he would feel pressure to behave in a certain way and would experience little or no autonomy.

New findings

The principles of self-determination theory have been studied and applied in various areas of life., such as: job demands, raising children, teaching and sports. Among the most notable findings we find:

Physical exercise and self-determined motivation

In 2008, a group of researchers analyzed the influence of athletes’ peers and basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness) on self-determined motivation and enjoyment in exercise.

The results showed that the motivational climate of colleagues positively predicted the three basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness). At the same time, Satisfaction of competence and relatedness needs positively predicted self-determined motivation.which also positively predicted the athletes’ enjoyment during the activity.

In sum, This study reiterates the importance of increasing athletes’ self-determined motivation to enjoy exercise more and be more committed to exercise.. Therefore, it is essential to foster perceptions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness through a climate of task involvement. Furthermore, findings provide evidence of the importance of the motivational climate among peers in sports motivation.

Mindfulness and autonomy

For their part, in 2003, other authors carried out a series of experiments to study mindfulness (understood as an open and indivisible attention, which happens within and around oneself) and its relationship with autonomous functioning and emotional well-being.

The results confirmed that when individuals act with attention, their actions are consistent with their values ​​and interests. Furthermore, they concluded that Mindfulness predicts self-regulated behavior and positive emotional states.

Vitality and self-regulation

Finally, we highlight a study carried out in 2006 where The relationship between subjective vitality and self-regulation was analyzed. Understanding vitality as the energy available to the subject, based on basic psychological needs.

Now, many theorists have argued that self-regulation depletes energy, thus inducing a state of fatigue. However, in this research it has been proven that only controlled regulation depletes energy. In fact, They conclude that autonomous regulation can be vitalizing.

You might be interested…