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Self-determination theory is a theory (technically it stems from six theories then grouped together) of human motivation positing that people are intrinsically motivated by three main components that must be present altogether which emerging result is healthy motivation, striving and ultimately a condition of generalized wellbeing and flourishing.
The theory was developed by Deci and Ryan during the 70’s and then re-elaborated overtime. It’s based on the assumption that exist two different kinds of motivation: intrinsic motivation (personal implicit drive to seek accomplishments) and extrinsic motivation (a goal-directed behavior driven by someone or something else). They’d be the result of the three indispensable elements, which are:
- AUTONOMY: It’s referred to the sense of agency. Autonomously enacting behaviors and perceiving that our actions have effects and consequences on reality make us feel in control increasing intrinsic motivation. Autonomy is conceptualized in relation to a psychological construct called: PLOC (personal locus of causality). It’s referred to the experience of being the “origin” of a behavior (internal PLOC) or, otherwise, being “influenced” or “controlled” by external forces.
- COMPETENCE: The notion of competence in this case came from White’s idea of motivation according to which people long to experience to be effective in performing and experience mastery.
- RELATEDNESS: People are motivated to pursue belonging and acceptance from other people.
These three basic needs are supposed to foster intrinsic motivation and their presence is not dichotomic, in fact it’s put into a gradient and with respect to how much they are salient in one’s life the degree of intrinsic motivation (and thereby wellness) shall thrive or decay into amotivation. Therefore, we find three different states of motivation:
- AMOTIVATION: lack of value, motivation and intentional motivation
- CONTROLLED MOTIVATION: external regulation and/or introjected motivation
- AUTONOMOUS MOTIVATION: behavior that we can enjoy for the sake of itself.
In a more nuanced way, we can see a pattern of increasingly internal and intrinsic motivated behaviors. We autonomously decide to put into place actions that are not other-directed or introjected (integrated extrinsic motives to different degrees) but utterly internally motivated enabling self-expression, personal growth and fulfilling relationships.
One the accomplishment of this theory is the wide applicability into several contexts. From education to work satisfaction and consumer behaviors the common thread is that as people find themselves in supportive environments (that is contexts fueling intrinsic motivation) their performances and wellbeing tend to raise up in particular if there aren’t incentives of any sort.
For instance, research suggests that autonomy supportive parents using an authoritative parenting style predict children school success and enhancement of executive functioning.
Moreover, positive rewards can be holding back people satisfaction if they are employed to pressuring for reaching specific outcomes. Generally speaking, feedback is claimed to have specific effects compered to how much informational, criterion-based and the way they are delivered.
By Luigi Costantini
costantiniluigi3@gmail.com
Bibliography
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2019). Brick by brick: The origins, development, and future of self-determination theory. In A. J. Elliot (Ed.), Advances in motivation science, Vol. 6 (pp. 111-156). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adms.2019.01.001
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806
Martela, F., Bradshaw, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2019). Expanding the map of intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations using network analysis and multidimensional scaling: Examining four new aspirations. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2174-2174. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02174
Slemp, G. R., Kern, M. L., Patrick, K. J., & Ryan, R. M. (2018). Leader autonomy support in the workplace: A meta-analytic review. Motivation and Emotion, 42(5), 706-724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9698-y
Taylor, G., Jungert, T., Mageau, G. A., Schattke, K., Dedic, H., Rosenfield, S., & Koestner, R. (2014). A self-determination theory approach to predicting school achievement over time: the unique role of intrinsic motivation. Contemporary Educational
Deci, E. L. (1972). The effects of contingent and non-contingent rewards and controls on intrinsic motivation. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 8, 217–229.
A.P.E. 
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