Studies in 2 work organizations tested a self‐determination theory based model in which employees' autonomous causality orientation and their perceptions of their managers' autonomy support independently predicted satisfaction of the employees' intrinsic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, which in turn predicted their performance evaluations and psychological adjustment. Path analysis indicated that the self‐determination theory model fit the data very well and that alternative models did not provide any advantage.
This study examined the self-perceptions, motivational orientations, and classroom adjustment of children with learning disabilities (LD), matched-IQ non-LD, randomly selected non-LD, and low achieving children. Elementary-age children (N = 148; 37 from each group) completed domain-specific measures of their self-concepts, perceptions of control, and motivation. Teachers rated children on motivational and competence indices and classroom behavioral adjustment. Comparisons among groups indicated that children with LD were lower in perceived cognitive competence and academic self-regulation relative to the nondisabled control groups, but were comparable to the low achieving children. Children with LD were most likely to perceive academic outcomes as controlled by powerful others. No group differences were found for general self-perceptions of control or competence. Teacher ratings of children with LD were more discrepant from those of comparison groups than were self-ratings of children with LD. The results suggest the need for matched-IQ and low achieving control groups in research on children with LD. The origin and role of both environmental inputs and self-perceptions in the adjustment of students with LD are discussed.
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Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is considered as a disorder of autonomy, and is related to both predisposing vulnerabilities and social relationships that fail to support basic psychological needs. Autonomy, which is defined within the self-determination theory as the capacity for self-endorsed action based on integrative, reflective awareness, is discussed as a developmental line that is dependent on specific supports from caregivers. Unresponsiveness, invalidation, or abuse by caregivers is argued to impair the capacity for autonomy and to catalyze an array of processes, both biological and psychological, which impact subsequent development and, in vulnerable individuals, can lead to BPD. Aspects of treatment, including the emphases on validation and acceptance of the patient's experience, and the cultivation of more reflective or mindful regulation of behavior, can be deduced, from this analysis of autonomy disturbance, and these in turn have appeared as the cornerstones of effective treatments for BPD.
Previous research has shown that when teachers are oriented toward controlling rather than supporting autonomy in their students, the students display lowered intrinsic motivation and self-esteem. The present study explored conditions that lead teachers to be more controlling versus more autonomy oriented with students. Impressing upon teachers that they are responsible for their students' performing up to standards leads them to be more controlling than teachers who were told that there were no performance standards for their students' learning. Teachers in the former condition talked more, were more critical of the students, gave more commands, and allowed less choice and autonomy. Considerable research has detailed the processes through which external events can affect a person's intrinsic motivation. In reviewing the evidence, Deci and Ryan (1980) concluded that the central parameter mediating the effects of external events on intrinsic motivation is self-determin ation. In other words, the experience of choice seems to be a necessary condition for the maintenance or enhancement of intrinsic motivation. Events that pressure people toward specified outcomes, thereby denying them the experience of choice, have repeatedly been shown to undermine intrinsic motivation. These events are referred to by Deci and Ryan as controlling. In contrast, events that provide people with meaningful feedback in the context of choice have been shown to enhance intrinsic motivation; these events are referred to as informational. There are two important components of informational events (and thus of events that enhance intrinsic motivation): They must provide choice and they must contain meaningful feedback. By meaningful, we
No abstract is provided for this article.
Using a daily diary methodology, we examined how social environments support or fail to support sexual identity disclosure, and associated mental and physical health outcomes. Results showed that variability in disclosure across the diary period related to greater psychological well-being and fewer physical symptoms, suggesting potential adaptive benefits to selectively disclosing. A multilevel path model indicated that perceiving autonomy support in conversations predicted more disclosure, which in turn predicted more need satisfaction, greater well-being, and fewer physical symptoms that day. Finally, mediation analyses revealed that disclosure and need satisfaction explained why perceiving autonomy support in a conversation predicted greater well-being and fewer physical symptoms. That is, perceiving autonomy support in conversations indirectly predicted greater wellness through sexual orientation disclosure, along with feeling authentic and connected in daily interactions with others. Discussion highlights the role of supportive social contexts and everyday opportunities to disclose in affecting sexual minority mental and physical health.
To introduce this special issue, we overview self-determination theory (SDT) as it is applied to physical activity, sport, and health. SDT distinguishes intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for physical activities, and specifies separate mini-theories addressing the nature, determinants, and consequences of each. Cognitive evaluation theory (CET) details the central role of intrinsic motivation in both sport and physical activity, and the impact of autonomy and competence supports in promoting people's intrinsic motivation. Organismic integration theory (OIT) describes different forms of extrinsic motivation that vary in their relative autonomy, affecting both persistence and performance. OIT suggests that more internalized extrinsic goals, being more volitional, are better maintained over time. We also review basic psychological need theory (BPNT), which specifies the role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction in facilitating and sustaining motivation, and the impact of intrinsic (e.g., health) and extrinsic (e.g., attractiveness) goals in physical activity. We then outline a SDT perspective on vitality and its depletion, including new research on how contact with nature can enhance subjective energy. We conclude by discussing field research, including controlled clinical trials, testing the efficacy of SDT-based interventions in the promotion of physical activity, and other health-related outcomes.
Effects on intrinsic motivation of three elements of the competitive situation (viz., competitive set, competitive outcome, and inter-personal context) were explored. Participants solved puzzles with a same-sex confederate under one of five experimental inductions, and intrinsic motivation was assessed by subsequent free-choice behavior and self-reports of interest/enjoyment. As predicted by cognitive evaluation theory, competitive outcome(viz., winning vs. losing) and interpersonal context (viz., pressured vs. nonpressured) affected intrinsic motivation. Path analyses showed that (a) winning (relative to losing) increased intrinsic motivation by enhancing perceived competence and (b) a pressured (relative to nonpressured) interpersonal context decreased intrinsic motivation by diminishing perceived self-determination. Further, competence valuation-the importance one places on doing well-related positively to perceived competence, perceived self-determination, and intrinsic motivation.
Mindfulness has been shown to have varied associations with different forms of motivation, leading to a lack of clarity as to how and when it may foster healthy motivational states. Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study proposes a theoretical model for how mindfulness supports different forms of human motivation, and then tests this via meta-analysis. A systematic review identified 89 relevant studies (N = 25,176), comprised of 104 independent datasets and 200 effect sizes. We used a three-level modelling approach to meta-analyze these data. Across both correlational and intervention studies, we found consistent support for mindfulness predicting more autonomous forms of motivation; and among correlational studies, less controlled motivation and amotivation. We conducted moderation analyses to probe heterogeneity in the effects, including bias within studies. We conclude by highlighting substantive and methodological issues that need to be addressed in future research in this area.
