Self-Determination Theory in Psychology

Have you ever noticed that you feel more motivated when you are empowered to make your own choices? That’s the idea behind self-determination theory,

Self-determination refers to a person’s ability to make choices and manage their own life. Being self-determined means that you feel in greater control, as opposed to being non-self-determined, which can leave you feeling that others control your life.

According to self-determination theory, three innate (and universal) psychological needs motivate people to grow and change. The concept of intrinsic motivation, or engaging in activities for the inherent reward of the behavior itself, plays an important role in this theory.

What Is Self-Determination Theory?

Self-determination is an important concept in psychology since it affects psychological health and well-being. Promoting self-determination is also an emerging best practice when working with certain populations, such as individuals with intellectual disabilities.1

Self-determination theory seeks to explain how being self-determined impacts motivation—that people feel more motivated to take action when they think that what they do will have an effect on the outcome. Learn more about how this theory works, as well as what you can do to improve your self-determination skills.

Self-determination theory grew out of the work of psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, who first introduced their ideas in their 1985 book Self-Determination and Intrinsic Motivation in Human Behavior. They developed a theory of motivation that suggests people tend to be driven by a need to grow and gain fulfillment.

Basic Assumptions of Self-Determination

Self-determination theory makes two key assumptions:

• The need for growth drives behavior. The first assumption of self-determination theory is that people actively strive for growth. To develop a cohesive sense of self, people need to gain mastery over challenges and take in new experiences.
• Autonomous motivation is important. While people are often motivated to act by external rewards such as money, prizes, and acclaim (known as extrinsic motivation), self-determination theory focuses primarily on internal sources of motivation, such as a need to gain knowledge or independence (intrinsic motivation).

Components of Self-Determination

According to self-determination theory, people need to feel the following to achieve psychological growth:2

• Autonomy: People need to feel in control of their own behaviors and goals. This sense of being able to take direct action that will result in real change plays a major part in helping people feel self-determined.
• Competence: People need to master tasks and learn different skills. When people feel that they have the skills needed for success, they are more likely to take actions that will help them achieve their goals.
• Connection or relatedness: Another essential part of self-determination is the ability to experience a sense of belonging and attachment to other people.

How Self-Determination Theory Works

It’s important to realize that the psychological growth described by self-determination theory does not happen automatically. While people might be oriented toward such growth, it requires continual sustenance.

Sometimes people may be more active about pursuing growth. In other cases, they take a more passive role. Understanding what causes people to take action is a big part of understanding the motivation puzzle.

Ryan and Deci have suggested that the tendency to be either proactive or passive is largely influenced by the social conditions in which we are raised. Social support is key. Our relationships and interactions with others can foster or thwart well-being and personal growth.

Other factors that also help or hinder the three elements needed for growth include:

• Extrinsic motivators can sometimes lower self-determination. According to Deci, giving people extrinsic rewards for intrinsically motivated behavior can undermine autonomy, a phenomenon known as the overjustification effect. As the behavior becomes increasingly controlled by external rewards, people begin to feel less in control of their behavior or their intrinsic motivation diminishes.
• Positive feedback can also boost self-determination. Deci suggests offering unexpected positive encouragement and feedback on a person’s task performance to increase intrinsic motivation. This feedback occurs spontaneously, feels authentic, and helps people feel more confident about their performance. Such feedback helps people feel more competent, a key need for personal growth.

Example of Self-Determination

To understand self-determination behavior, it can be helpful to look at some examples what might happen in a situation where a person is highly self-determined vs. poorly self-determined:

When a Person Is Highly Self-Determined

Imagine a person who fails to complete an important project at work. If this person is high in self-determination, they will admit their fault, believe that they can do something to fix the problem, and take action to correct the mistake.

When a Person Is Poorly Self-Determined

If that same person was low in self-determination, they might instead look for other things that they can blame. They might make excuses, assign blame elsewhere, or refuse to admit their own role in not completing the project on time.

Self-Determined vs. Non-Self-Determined Behaviors

Rather than thinking of motivation as being driven by extrinsic or intrinsic rewards, viewing it as a continuum between self-determined and non-self-determined behaviors is often helpful.

• Self-determined behaviors: On one end of the continuum are purely self-determined behaviors that tend to be intrinsically driven and done for the enjoyment of, interest in, and inherent satisfaction for the action itself.
• Non-self-determined behaviors: On the other end are non-self-determined behaviors, which are performed only because they must be done. There is a complete lack of control on this extreme end of the scale.

However, it’s important to remember that behaviors are often driven by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors to varying degrees. If you are training to compete in a marathon, for example, you might be extrinsically motivated by a desire to gain approval from others. At the same time, you may also be intrinsically motivated by the satisfaction you gain from the activity itself. Typically, behaviors tend to lie in the middle of the continuum.

There is also often a varying amount of external motivation, which can fuel the degree of internal motivation. People may engage in actions because they feel they have some level of personal control and the behaviors ultimately align with something important for their self-concept.

How Self-Determination Influences Behavior

The concept of self-determination has been applied to a wide variety of areas including education, work, parenting, exercise, and health. Research suggests that having high self-determination can foster success in many different domains of life.

In the Workplace

When people are more satisfied with their jobs, they are more likely to work harder and enjoy their work more. Research has shown that people with self-determination feel more satisfied at work while playing a key role in that organization’s success.3

How can employers build self-determination in their workers?

• By allowing team members to take an active role
• Not overusing extrinsic rewards since this can undercut intrinsic motivation, a phenomenon known as the overjustification effect
• Offering employees greater responsibilities
• Offering support and encouragement
• Providing employees with meaningful feedback

In Competition

In competitive settings, such as sports and athletics, fostering a sense of self-determination can motivate people to excel. Some suggest that it works, at least in part, by increasing a person’s level of mental toughness.4

Athletes who feel that they are capable of achieving their goals and overcoming challenges are often driven to perform better. Excelling allows them to gain a sense of competence and build mastery in skills that are enjoyable and important to them.

In Social Settings

Self-determination can also play an important role in social relationships. For instance, when people are new to an online group, if their needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence (the three components of self-determination) are fulfilled. This has a positive impact on their social identity, which, in turn, affects their participation behaviors.6

In other words, feeling like they belong to the group fosters greater self-determinations, meaning they are then more likely to contribute to the group in meaningful ways.

To forge close, affectionate relationships with others, thus potentially improving self-determination:

• Seek positive relationships with people who will support you in the pursuit of your goals.
• Offer support and feedback to people who are part of your social circle.
• Use empathic listening to create a greater understanding of others.
• Validate other people’s emotions and show them support when they need it.

In School Settings

Self-determined students are more likely to feel motivated to achieve. They also tend to feel greater levels of competence and satisfaction.7 Educators can help students foster a sense of self-determination and intrinsic motivation by:

• Providing unexpected positive feedback when students perform well to help improve their feelings of competence
• Avoiding excessive external rewards for actions students already enjoy, which helps improve their internal motivation
• Fostering autonomy by giving students choices about how to complete tasks
• Offering resources to help students succeed in order to build greater competence

Traits of Self-Determined People

If you are interested in strengthening your self-determination, it is helpful to think about what a highly self-determined individual might look like. People high in self-determination tend to:

• Believe that they have control over their own lives. Self-determined people have an internal locus of control and feel that their behaviors will have an influence on outcomes.8 When confronted with challenges, they feel that they can overcome them through diligence, good choices, and hard work.
• Have high self-motivation. Someone with high self-determination doesn’t rely on external rewards or punishments to motivate them to take action. Instead, they engage in behaviors because they are motivated intrinsically. They have an internal desire to set goals and work toward them.9
• Base their actions on their own goals and behaviors. In other words, people with self-motivation intentionally engage in actions that they know will bring them closer to their goals.
• Take responsibility for their behaviors. Highly self-determined people take credit for their success, but they also accept the blame for their failures. They know they are responsible for their actions and don’t shift blame elsewhere.

How to Improve Your Self-Determination

Self-determination can change based on our experiences and our environments. Do you want to be more self-determined? There are a few steps you can take to improve your own self-determination skills.

Improve Your Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is associated with self-determination and can even help prepare you to make more purposeful decisions.10 Meditation, seeking regular feedback, and writing down your thoughts and feelings are all ways to improve self-awareness.

Engage in Self-Regulation

Developing a higher level of self-determination involves also working on your self-regulation skills.11 Strategies that can help you better regulate yourself include being more mindful of how you feel mentally and physically, along with practicing cognitive reframing to regulate your emotional responses better.

Find Social Support

Strong social relationships can foster motivation and well-being.12 Seek people who make you feel welcome and cared for. This may be a family member or friend, or it could be a member of your church, a counselor, or anyone else who provides a sense of support and belonging.

Gain Mastery

Becoming skilled in areas that are important to you can help build your sense of self-determination. Whether you have a strong interest in a hobby, sport, academic subject, or another area, learning as much as you can about it and improving your skills can help you feel more competent.