What is Self-Determination Theory?

Good evening,

I hope you’re well 🙂

Do you ever wonder what motivates us as people? In today’s blog, we’re going to be exploring the psychological concept of the “Self-Determination Theory” – taking a look at what it is, how it impacts us as people and its role in our lives.

Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!

Self-Determination Theory (SDT), developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in 1985, is a framework for studying human motivation and personality. It focuses on the degree to which our behaviours are self-motivated and self-determined.

SDT highlights how our natural, internal abilities help us grow as individuals and control our own behaviour. It suggests that we have built-in strengths that, when supported, allow us to develop our personalities and manage our actions effectively. These internal resources are crucial for leading a fulfilling and balanced life.

The Core Foundations of SDT

SDT states that there are three innate psychological needs that, when satisfied, allow people to be productive and experience a positive perspective on life. These needs are:

Autonomy: The need to feel in control of one’s own behaviours and goals. This means feeling like you have a choice and control over what you do, and that you are acting because you genuinely want to, not because you are forced to.
Competence: The need to gain mastery of tasks and learn different skills. This is focused on feeling good at what you do and having chances to use and show your skills and abilities.
Relatedness: Wanting to feel close to other people, be part of a group, and feel important in your social surroundings. It involves making strong, personal connections and cultivating an environment for you to thrive.

Types of Motivation

SDT distinguishes between different types of motivation based on how much they are self-determined. The different types include:

Intrinsic Motivation:

Doing something because you enjoy it and find it satisfying.
For example: reading a book because you love the story or going for a walk because it helps you feel good

Extrinsic Motivation:

Doing something because of outside influences or rewards.
For example: going to work because you need to earn money to pay your bills and support your lifestyle or entering a competition because you want to win a prize or gain some form of recognition.

Different Ways People Approach Control:

SDT also talks about how different people like to be in different types of situations and how they control their actions. The three different kinds are:

Autonomous Orientation:

Some people naturally prefer to be in environments where they can make their own choices and decisions.
They like having freedom and control over what they do.

Controlled Orientation:

Others lean towards environments where they’re told what to do or where there are rewards for following rules.
They feel more comfortable when there are clear guidelines or when they get rewards for doing things.

Impersonal Orientation:

Then, there are people who struggle to feel in control of their actions.
They might feel like they lack the ability to make things happen the way they want, which can lead to feelings of not being good enough or not being able to control their own lives.

I only found out about Self-Determination Theory a couple of months back, however, it’s quickly become something that has fascinated me. You can apply it to so many different areas of life, whether it is regarding how we motivate ourselves as we move through life, the different social settings that we find ourselves drawn to or how we can push one another to grow – the applications are endless.

I’ll wrap up today’s blog there, if you are interested in finding out more about SDT, please do feel free to look it a little more. If you would like me to cover more blogs on it, I’d be more than happy to give it a go as well!

I’ve covered quite a few different well-being concepts and philosophical theories over the last two years on the page, however, I haven’t done much on psychology yet – which is something that I am keen on changing moving forward. How exactly I’m going to do that, well, we’ll just have to wait and see 🙂

That’s all for today’s blog, what do you think? Have you heard of SDT before? Would you like to see me talk about psychology more on the page? Are there any topics or areas that you would like me to delve into?

I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!