Self-Determination Theory

Self-determination theory (SDT) is an empirically based theory of human motivation, optimal functioning, and wellness. SDT assumes that people have an inherent growth tendency, which is referred to as the organismic integration process. Through this process, development occurs both by the unfolding of intrinsic motivation and interests and by the process of internalizing practices and values from the external world. Accompanying people’s development and ongoing functioning are subjective human experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, or what in SDT are called people’s basic psychological needs. That is, SDT relies on human experiences related to these three basic needs as the central inputs to development and functioning and also as an important focus for testing hypotheses empirically. Experiences related to these needs are assessed through subjective reports as well as a variety of supplementary methods from brain imaging to implicit measurements and priming of nonconscious motivational processes. Although SDT is a complex theory that will only be partially reviewed herein, at its core it proposes a multidimensional motivational model that is unified by the concept of autonomy. SDT then deals with how to promote the most functional types of motivation—that is, the types associated with optimal functioning and growth.

SDT also specifies individual differences, called general causality orientations, that represent the type of motivation a person most typically embraces, and it also differentiates the nature and consequences of people’s life goals or aspirations, which shape both proximal behaviors and individuals’ overall well-ness trajectories. Each of these fundamental issues is addressed in the next sections; the final section discusses empirical evidence specific to the field of management.