#377 Meeting Basic Psychological Needs Promotes Inherent Growth Tendencies

     "Motivation is having the energy or desire to do an action. The degree to which an individual’s psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness are being met within any performance context will determine if that person is motivated or unmotivated to perform the task(s) at hand. When a performance context facilitates the fulfillment of basic needs, that need fulfillment engenders intrinsic motivation, or autonomous types of extrinsic motivation, toward a task or performance. These self-determined types of motivation, because they involve voluntary & persistent effort toward a task, help to ensure successful outcomes. The successful outcomes lead to renewed need fulfillment, more self-determined motivation, and continued success of outcomes, all of which lead to psychological well-being. If the needs are not met, an individual will not achieve psychological well-being.

     Self-determination theory (SDT) is concerned with human motivation. The theory examines people’s inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs, which are posited to be the foundations of self-motivation. Understanding the circumstances that bring about positive motivation is the focal point of the theory. SDT is based on the assumption that humans, with their innate psychological needs, seek challenges in an effort to master their environments. 
     To understand the reasons why people participate in any activity, according to SDT, it is important to distinguish among a variety of types of motivation. The theory proposes that there is a continuum of human self-determination (or choice) regarding the things that we do. Along this linear continuum, various types of motivation can be described. At the far left of the linear continuum is amotivation, which is the lack of an intention to act. At the far right end of the continuum is intrinsic motivation, which refers to doing an activity for the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself. Four types of extrinsic motivation lie between amotivation and intrinsic motivation, which is at the far right side of the continuum.
     The first type of extrinsic motivation is external regulation. This is the least self-determined, or the least autonomous, of the externally regulated behaviors, in which actions are performed to satisfy external demands. The next type of extrinsic motivation is introjected regulation, which involves behaving so as to avoid guilt or to enhance one’s ego. Identified regulation is a self-determined, or autonomous, form of extrinsic motivation in which the person identifies with the personal importance of a behavior. Integrated regulation is the most self-determined form of extrinsic motivation. It operates when behaviors are most congruent with an individual’s values and needs."
       Ballmann JM, Mueller JJ. Using self-determination theory to describe the academic motivation of allied health professional-level college students. J Allied Health 2008; 37(2): 90-6.

     For more details about SDT, search for Ryan RM on: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/

Galatia N   www.dpreview.com