Why we do What we do - Ed Deci

integration

• psychological process to understand autonomy, authenticity, and self

• only when processes that initiate and regulate an action are integrated for oneself is the behaviour autonomous and authentic

not integrated example

• studying only because your parents threaten punishment

• feels pressure, not autonomous

integrated example

• studying because you value learning or want a career goal

• feels directed and authentic

exception to integration

psychotic behaviours do not count

Lasch

• describes American culture as having a narcissistic preoccupation with the self

• but narcissism occurs because you care heavily about what others think, so narcissism isn’t the result of authenticity or self-determination; it’s their antithesis

authenticity

• as people become more authentic and develop greater capacity for autonomous self-regulation, they also become capable of a deeper relatedness to others

• not an outward behaviour, you must look at inner motivations

one-up/one-down positions

• when you are grappling with power, control, and status

  • are you the boss or the employee?

Robert Henri

attainment of a state of being, a high state of functioning, a more than ordinary moment of existence

study: what will happen to the intrinsic motivation of the rewarded subjects relative to that of the non rewarded subjects?

• the most important period was the time the experimenter spent outside of the room (8 minutes)

• those rewarded monetarily were less likely to play with soma building blocks in the free-choice period

  • monetary rewards undermined people’s intrinsic motivation

Richard deCharms

• the key to intrinsic motivation is the desire to be origin of one’s own actions rather than a pawn manipulated by external forces

personal causation - deCharms

• perhaps there is an innate or intrinsic need to feel a sense of personal autonomy or self-determination

• people need to feel their behaviour is truly chosen by them

control vs autonomy

• control (pressure, rewards, lack of choice) reduces self-determination and can feel threatening

• autonomy (meaningful choice) increases willingness and motivation

  • people often interpret rewards as controlling, so providing choice leads to better motivational outcomes e.g., in healthcare

Ryan’s study in which rewards are administered with two different interpersonal styles

• one is controlling (words like should)

• one is non controlling

• competition diminishes intrinsic motivation

children’s art

• research with Koestner

• the idea was to engage kids (5-6 y/o) in a creative but potentially messy task of painting a picture

• two ways to say instructions:

  • controlling - do as you should and don’t mix up the colours

  • non controlling - be a good boy/girl and keep materials neat

• results: the autonomy-supportive condition had a liberating effect and controlling had a debilitating effect

limit setting

• setting limits in an autonomy-supportive way

• encourages responsibility without undermining authenticity

intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

• extrinsic control often gets focused on the outcomes, which leads to shortcuts

• intrinsic motivation can bring uplifting experiences

Robert Henri and intrinsic motivation

more than ordinary moments of existence

Csikzentmihalyi and intrinsic motivation

refers to it as flow state

intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation research

• one group told they were going to be tested, the other told they will put the information to active use

  • the latter showed greater conceptual understanding

• the strategy of giving tests is not necessarily productive if the objective is long-term learning

conclusion from intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation research

• intrinsic motivation is associated with richer experience, better conceptual understanding, greater creativity, and improved problem solving, relative to external controls

• control undermines intrinsic motivation, engagement with activities, and has detrimental effects on the performance of any tasks that require creativity, conceptual understanding, or flexible problem solving

pay for performance

• compensating employees for each specific piece of work they do

• e.g., sales commissions

equitable rewards

people who give more to an organization will get more from it

competency

• people need other have both strategies and capacities for attaining desired outcomes

• feeling competent at a task id important for one’s intrinsic motivation

• the feeling of competence results when a person meets optimal challenges to take on

White and competency

theorizes that the second important psychological need, beyond autonomy, is to feel competent

competency experiment

• results indicated that praising males increased their intrinsic motivation but praising females decreased their intrinsic motivation

• results from different socialization of girls and boys so that women perceived the praise as control

• non controlling praise increased everyone’s intrinsic motivation

  • measured through interest and a high persistence level

instrumentalities

• linkages that allow people to see behaviour-outcome relationships

• motivation requires people to see a relationship between their behaviour

how to make negative feedback effective?

• ask the person what their thoughts are on the situation (where they were wrong)

  • offers autonomy

human psychology

including the work of Carl Rogers, who pioneered client-centred therapy, and Fritz Perls, who pioneered Gestalt therapy

synthesis

occurs when there is enough support in the social context so that the natural, proactive tendencies are able to flourish

automatons

people who engage in instrumental reasoning, comply with demands, are prompted to defy the controls

psychological needs that support intrinsic motivation and development

• intrinsic motivation requires competence and autonomy

• relatedness → feeling connected, loved, and cared for

• perceptions aren’t the same as objective reality (people’s feelings may not match data)

• compliance and defiance are both forms of controlled behaviour

• high sex drive may reflect a stronger need for relatedness/love

dependence is motivated by the need for relatedness

• can coexist with autonomy or control

• willingness or volitional dependence on parents is essential for teenagers’ integrity and well-being

independent vs autonomous

• you can be autonomous independent but most people who are independent do this due to control

introjection

• form of internalization

• a psychological defence mechanism where an individual unconsciously incorporates external ideas, attitudes, or traits from other people or the environment into their own psyche and self-image

• characterized by ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’

integration

• form of internalization

• digestion

• required for autonomous functioning

Golnick and Ryan

• explored the qualities of family life that promote effective integration of external values and regulations

• interested in two things:

  • the extent to which parents support their children’s autonomy

  • the extent to which parents are really involved

Deci and Eghrari → what promotes internalization of uninteresting tasks?

• provide a rationale

• acknowledge feelings (may not want to)

• use low-pressure, non-controlling language

autonomy support

• supports choice and understanding while still maintain gin expectations

• not permissiveness

  • doesn’t mean letting people off the hook

does autonomy support always feel fair or ‘nice’?

• no, sometimes it involves difficult decisions

• e.g., sacrificing personal plans to meet responsibilities

how do controlling vs autonomy-supporting contest differ in internalization?

• controlling → limited, partial internalization (introjection)

• autonomy supportive → stronger, more complete internalization

Allan Bloom

• wrote: the healthy inner-directed person will really care for others

• his portrayal of authenticity is superficial and inaccurate

• people will become selfish when they grow up in controlled and chaotic environments and can’t be autonomous

a key risk of belonging to a group

pressure to conform may lead people to suppress their true self

why do people conform to controlling environments?

• fear of consequences if they resist

• lack of awareness that they’re being controlled

what is the true self rooted in?

the intrinsic self → authentic interests, values, and motivations

how can love and acceptance become condtional?

when they depend on adopting external values and regulations rater than being authentic

introjection disadvantages

• strongly related to anxiety

• process that facilitates the emergence of the false self and inner conflict issues

• cases people to deem if they’re worthy enough to love themselves, esteem themselves contingently

ego involvement

• the term psychologists use to refer to the process of people’s feelings of worth being dependent on specific outcomes

• impairs learning, creativity, diminishes performance, decreases intrinsic motivation

• why sometimes the less you try, the better you are

Charlotte Sevver

allow yourself to fail, and you will be more likely to succeed

two types of self-esteem

• true and contingent

• people with true self-esteem are able to esteem others’ frailties without deprecating them

non contingent positive reward

• Carl ROgers

• regard from others, and ourselves, is our alienable right

Marc Blais and Robert Vallerand

• a study exploring the reasons for people being in romantic relationships

• autonomy of the partner was essential for relationship happiness

Richard Ryan and Tim Kasser → 6 life aspirations

• wealth, fame, physical attractiveness

  • extrinsic

• competence, autonomy, relatedness

  • intrinsic

how do intrinsic vs extrinsic aspirations relate to mental health?

• extrinsic focus → poorer psychological health

• intrinsic focus (relationships, growth, contribution) → better psychological health

what best predicts well-being?

the type of aspirations people strongly value, not their expectations of achieving them

what happens when people internalize extrinsic values?

they may adopt them, but experience psychological costs from striving to meet them

how do autonomy-support parents influence value internalization?

they help children better integrate values (even extrinsic ones) in a healthier way

individualism vs autonomy

• individualism: can involve control and pressure to be independent

• autonomy: acting with genuine choice and self-endorsement (not control)

why should teachers and managers be autonomy supportive?

• Promotes intrinsic motivation and engagement

• Too much control → people become dependent on direction (e.g., asking what to do)

how can autonomy be supported in decision-making?

• Involve people in decisions (what/how to do tasks)

• Providing how-to choice is easier than what-to-do choice

• Increases commitment, motivation, and often decision quality

• Some resist choice due to fear or learned dependence on control

key principles of setting autonomy-supportive limits

• • Let people help set limits when possible

  • Explain rationale (avoid “should”)

  • Allow choice within broad limits

  • Use clear consequences, not punishment

how should goals and performance be handled?

• • Behavior is goal-directed (people seek meaningful outcomes)

  • Small, challenging goals increase fulfillment

  • Take the person’s perspective (don’t impose unrealistic demands)

  • Self-set goals → better self-evaluation and autonomous improvement

how should rewards and recognition be used?

• Poorly used rewards can backfire (reduce intrinsic motivation)

• Competitions often create “winners vs. losers”

• Reward improvement and effort, not just outcomes

common obstacles to autonomy support

• Controlling personalities

• Institutional pressure (e.g., performance demands)

• Stress → “knee-jerk” controlling behavior in authority roles

• Leaders (teachers, managers) also need autonomy support

what is required for lasting behaviour change?

• Accept responsibility

• Be willing to experience blocked feelings (e.g., withdrawal)

• Have a deep, personal (intrinsic) reason for change—not external pressure

how should doctors promote healthy behaviour?

• Be autonomy-supportive, not controlling

• Help patients understand why treatment matters

• Build understanding, not authority-based pressure

why do some disadvantaged children develop strong autonomy?

• Exposure to at least one supportive figure

• Interpret environments as more autonomy-supportive

• Actively shape their social environment

key individual differences in autonomy

• Everyone has some autonomy

• More autonomous people → better mental health & self-esteem

• Challenge: support autonomy even in passive, defiant, or dependent individuals

what is ego involvement and its effect?

• Tying self-worth to outcomes

• Leads to rigidity, defensiveness, and emotional reactivity (“pawn to emotions”)

role of emotions in self-regulation

• Emotions signal gaps between current state and standards

• Healthy functioning requires experiencing the full range of emotions (not just happiness)

what is an external locus of causality and its problem?

• Attributing behavior to external forces

• Leads to blame and weak long-term change

• Real change comes from self-understanding and choice

how does pressure affect behaviour change?

• Leads to compliance or defiance

• Does not produce lasting, meaningful change

true human freedom

• Being autonomous and volitional

• Not driven by pressure, guilt, or defiance

• Acting in line with authentic values

how are autonomy and relatedness connected to freedom?

• True freedom includes respecting and connecting with others

• Balance between self-direction and social responsibility

why are compliance and rebellion both not true freedom?

• Both are reactions to control

• True autonomy = acting from authentic choice, not reaction

core idea of human freedom

• Freedom = choice + responsibility + authenticity

• Requires supportive environments but is not fully determined by them