Self-Determination Theory

Self-determination theory is a theory of human motivation developed by the psychologists Edward L. Deci and Richard Ryan, formally introduced in their 1985 book Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. The theory holds that people have three basic psychological needs whose satisfaction supports healthy motivation, well-being and growth: autonomy, the desire to act as the causal agent of one's own life and in harmony with one's integrated sense of self; competence, the desire to seek out challenge and experience mastery and effectiveness in one's actions; and relatedness, the desire to feel connected to, cared for by, and caring toward other people. Self-determination theory distinguishes intrinsic motivation, engaging in an activity because it is inherently interesting or satisfying, from extrinsic motivation, engaging in an activity to obtain an outcome separate from the activity itself, such as a reward or the avoidance of punishment. The theory holds that when a person's basic psychological needs are supported rather than thwarted, their behavior becomes more self-motivated and self-determined, an idea widely applied in education to explain why some classroom and instructional conditions foster genuine student engagement while others foster only compliance.