need
a fundamental, innate requirement or condition that is ESSENTIAL for growth, wellbeing and effective functioning
needs ENERGIZE and DIRECT behaviour
drive theories recap
internal state of tension pushes individuals to take action to satisfy their needs & restore homeostasis
drive theories view humans as…
passive
4 key ideas of self-determination theory
what does psychological need satisfaction promote?
intrinsic motivation
intrinsic motivation
motivation to engage in an activity out of one’s INTEREST and ENJOYMENT
performing the activity is its own reward
extrinsic motivation
motivation to engage in an activity due to some EXTERNAL OUTCOME
not about enjoying the activity in its own right, but about what you get out of it
things that intrinsic motivation is linked to…
our ______ ________ may _____ or _____ need satisfaction, with downstream _______ on ________ _________
social environments
support or thwart
effects
intrinsic motivation
autonomy
the psychological need to experience SELF-DIRECTION and PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT in the initiation and regulation of one’s behaviour
autonomy need satisfaction
characterized by a sense of VOLITION and SELF-ENDORSEMENT
genuine, un-pressured willingness to engage in an activity without feeling coerced or pressured
sense of ownership and personal causation over one’s behaviour
autonomy need satisfaction involves a sense of “I’m doing this because…”
“I’m doing this because I WANT TO”
rather than
“I don’t really want to be doing this. I’m only doing this because I have to, not because I want to”
importance of choice: elderly nursing home patients RESULTS
residents in the choice group (vs control)…
importance of choice: elderly nursing home patients TAKEAWAY
freedom of choice is essential to our wellbeing
is choice always beneficial?
no, not all “choices” promote a sense of autonomy and some may even leave individuals feeling controlled
ie. overt or even subtle pressure to pick a particular opinion negates the benefits of choice
for choice to have psychological & performance benefits, it must…
be MEANINGFUL and ALIGNED with an individual’s INTERESTS and VALUES
ie. picking from a number of uninteresting options won’t yield benefits
ie. if one of the choices is quite bad, it doesn’t feel like much of a choice
ie. if you’re pressured, it doesn’t feel like much of a choice
tyranny of choice
too many choices may be OVERWHELMING
decision fatigue, uncertainty, anxiety, regret
retirement plans: example of tyranny of choice
employee participation in 401 000 retirement plans DECREASES when MORE FUND OPTIONS are offered
Barry Schwartz quote on particularities of benefits of self-determination
“[it is] self-determination within SIGNIFICANT CONSTRAINTS - within ‘rules’ of some sort - that leads to wellbeing, to optimal functioning”
choice may also feel overwhelming when…
when we lack the REQUISITE SKILL or KNOWLEDGE to make the choice
recap: things we can do to support the other person’s interest and intrinsic motivation
^ can OFFER CHOICE to support need for autonomy
^ can also incorporate elements to meet needs for competence and relatedness
^ what are the person’s interests? what kind of choices would they benefit from?
finding meaning in uninteresting activities relies on what process?
internalization
internalization
the process through which a person TRANSFORMS a formerly externally prescribed way of thinking or behaving into an INTERNALLY-ENDORSED ONE
strategies for internalization