Self-determination is often used in diplomatic and political contexts to describe the process that takes place in a country when it signs its independence. However, the theory of self-determination also has a much more personal meaning and is more relevant to psychology.
It is the ability or process to make your own decisions and control your own life, in fact, self-determination is an essential factor associated with psychological well-being.
- The theory of self-determination suggests that people are motivated to grow and change due to innate psychological needs and identifies the three main innate and universal psychological needs: the need for competence.
- The need for connection and the need for autonomy.
In addition, intrinsic motivation plays an important role in the theory of self-determination.
The theory of self-determination is a hypothesis that links personality, human motivation and optimal functioning Does she say that there are two essential types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic?And that they both have a lot of influence on who we are and how we behave.
The theory of self-determination arose through the work of researchers Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan’s motivation in the 1970s and 1980s, which although they have grown and developed since then, the basic principles are those of the book Deci and Ryan published in 1985 on the subject.
The first hypothesis of the theory of self-determination is that people are “growth-oriented activities”. Mastering challenges and assimilating new experiences is essential to building a sense of identity.
Thus, Deci and Ryan’s theory suggests that people act motivated by the need to grow and gain satisfaction.
While people argue motivated by the promise of external rewards, such as money, rewards, or social recognition (also called extrinsic motivation), the theory of self-determination focuses primarily on internal sources of motivation, such as the need to acquire knowledge. called intrinsic motivation).
According to the theory of self-determination, people need to feel the following sensations to achieve this psychological growth:
Deci and Ryan suggest that when people experience these three sensations, they become self-determined and may feel intrinsically motivated to pursue the things they care about.
It is important to note that the psychological growth described by the theory of self-determination does not occur automatically, although people can orient themselves towards this growth, it requires continuous maintenance.
According to Deci and Ryan, social support is the secret. Through our relationships and exchanges with others, we can nurture or harm well-being and personal growth.
According to Deci and Ryan, extrinsic motivation arises from interest in external matters. These sources include rating systems, employee reviews, awards and praise, and respect or admiration for others.
On the other hand, intrinsic motivation comes from within and is closely associated with the task itself. We have our internal impulses, which motivate us to behave in certain ways, including fundamental values, interests and a personal sense of morality.
While intrinsic and extrinsic motivation seems to be opposite, with intrinsic conduct following our “ideal self”, and extrinsic, which would lead us to adapt to the norms of others, there is another important distinction for separating motivations.
For this reason, the theory of self-determination differentiates autonomous motivation from controlled motivation.
Autonomous motivation includes motivation that comes from internal sources, but also includes motivation from extrinsic sources if the individual identifies with the value of an activity, and feels that it adapts or is consistent with the image they want to project.
Controlled motivation consists of
According to the theory of self-determination, when an individual is guided by autonomous motivation, he will feel directed by himself.
However, when the individual is driven by controlled motivation, he will perceive the pressure to behave in a certain way and will feel little or no autonomy.