- Richard M. Ryan, Ph.D. is a Professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Cathol... moreRichard M. Ryan, Ph.D. is a Professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University and a Research Professor in the Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology at the University of Rochester. He is a clinical psychologist and co-developer of Self-Determination Theory, an internationally recognized leading theory of human motivation. He lectures frequently in the United States and aboard on the factors that promote motivation and healthy psychological and behavioral functioning. Ryan is among the most cited researchers in psychology and social sciences today and the author of over 350 papers and books in the areas of human motivation, personality, and psychological well-being, including Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development and wellness (Ryan & Deci, 2017, Guilford). Reflective of Ryan's influence internationally and across disciplines, he has been recognized as one of the eminent psychologists of the modern era, Post-World War II (Diener, Oishi & Parker, 2014, Archives of Scientific Psychology). He has also been honored with three lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to the field on motivation, personal meaning, and self and identity, and has received an honorary degree from the University of Thessaly and an honorary membership to the German Psychological Society.edit
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According to self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci, Am Psychol 55:68–78, 2000), both why people act (e.g., from autonomy or control) and what they choose to do (e.g., pursuing intrinsic versus extrinsic goals) predict the overall... more
According to self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci, Am Psychol 55:68–78, 2000), both why people act (e.g., from autonomy or control) and what they choose to do (e.g., pursuing intrinsic versus extrinsic goals) predict the overall quality of their living. When the reason “why” one acts is volitional and self-endorsed and “what” one pursues is more intrinsically oriented (e.g., personal growth, community contribution) one is more likely to experience overall wellness. In this chapter, we discuss how mindfulness, or open awareness of what is occurring in the moment (Brown and Ryan, J Personal Soc Psychol 84:822–848, 2003), supports more autonomous forms of self-regulation and more intrinsic versus extrinsic goal selection, supplying an important “how” of eudaimonic, or meaningful and satisfying, living. To show these links we first present a brief overview of SDT, then delineate the construct mindfulness, and review evidence of how mindfulness relates to both the regulatory processes through which behaviors are enacted, and the content of goals that individuals pursue.
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This chapter provides an introduction to Self-Determination Theory, a macro-theory that details the origins and outcomes of human agentic action. Basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in Self-Determination... more
This chapter provides an introduction to Self-Determination Theory, a macro-theory that details the origins and outcomes of human agentic action. Basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in Self-Determination Theory are introduced as is the relationship of need satisfaction to intrinsic motivation and the regulation of extrinsic motivation. Mini-theories associated with self-determination are introduced, and research on self-determination summarized.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Developmental Psychology, Mental Health, Educational Psychology, and 15 moreHealth Care, Autonomy, Intrinsic motivation, Medicine, Motivation, Self Efficacy, Humans, Human nature, Human behavior, Self Determination Theory, Facilitation, Definisjon av kreativitet, Boolean Satisfiability, Cognitive Evaluation Theory, and Goal Theory
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Promoting the use of contact tracing technology will be an important step in global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two studies, we assessed two messaging strategies as motivators of intended contact tracing uptake. In one... more
Promoting the use of contact tracing technology will be an important step in global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two studies, we assessed two messaging strategies as motivators of intended contact tracing uptake. In one sample of 1117 Australian adults and one sample of 888 American adults, we examined autonomy-supportive and controlling message framing and the presence or absence of information safety as predictors of intended contact tracing application uptake, using an online randomized 2 × 2 experimental design. The results suggested that the provision of data safety assurances may be key in affecting people’s intentions to use contact tracing technology, an effect we found in both samples regardless of whether messages were framed as autonomy-supportive or controlling. Those in high information safety conditions consistently reported higher intended uptake and more positive perceptions of the application than those in low information safety conditions. In Study 2...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Internal Medicine (General Medicine), General Internal Medicine, Medicine, Humans, and 15 moreSocial distance, Quarantine, Clinical Sciences, Science Technology, BMJ, Pandemics, Formal Social Control, Pandemic, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Betacoronavirus, Contact Tracing, coronavirus outbreak, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Coronavirus infections, and Epidemiological monitoring
Human beings have fundamental psychological propensities toward growth, integrity, and wellness. Yet, historically, many approaches to motivation have ignored these inner propensities, focusing instead on how external contingencies shape... more
Human beings have fundamental psychological propensities toward growth, integrity, and wellness. Yet, historically, many approaches to motivation have ignored these inner propensities, focusing instead on how external contingencies shape expectancies and behaviors. This chapter reviews recent work in self-determination theory, an organismic approach in which people’s intrinsic, growth-oriented propensities are a central focus. Self-determination theory argues that people have basic psychological needs to experience competence, autonomy, and relatedness to others. Satisfaction of these basic needs facilitates autonomous motivation and wellness, whereas the frustration of these needs contributes to ill-being and is associated with lower quality, and often highly controlled, forms of motivation. Autonomous and controlled forms of motivation differ in their antecedents, neurological underpinnings, and outcomes. Although most of the experimentation and evidence base of self-determination...
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Page 1. CHAPTER 6 Internalization within the Family: The Self-Determination Theory Perspective WENDY S. GROLNICK, EDWARD L. DECI, and RICHARD M. RYAN The study of familial socialization is concerned with how ...
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... Citation. Database: PsycINFO. [Chapter]. All goals are not created equal: An organismic perspective on the nature of goals and their regulation. Ryan, Richard M.; Sheldon, Kennon M.; Kasser, Tim; Deci, Edward L. Gollwitzer, Peter M.... more
... Citation. Database: PsycINFO. [Chapter]. All goals are not created equal: An organismic perspective on the nature of goals and their regulation. Ryan, Richard M.; Sheldon, Kennon M.; Kasser, Tim; Deci, Edward L. Gollwitzer, Peter M. (Ed); Bargh, John A. (Ed). (1996). ...
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Recent research in the United States suggests that individuals who strongly value extrinsic goals (e.g., fame, wealth, image) relative to intrinsic goals (e.g., personal growth, relatedness, community) experience less well-being. This... more
Recent research in the United States suggests that individuals who strongly value extrinsic goals (e.g., fame, wealth, image) relative to intrinsic goals (e.g., personal growth, relatedness, community) experience less well-being. This study examines such goals in university samples from two cultures—the United States and Russia. Participants (N = 299) rated the importance, expectancies, and current attainment of 15 life goals, including 4 target intrinsic and 4 target extrinsic goals. Results confirmed the relevance of the intrinsic-extrinsic distinction for both samples and that stronger importance and expectancies regarding extrinsic goals were negatively related to well-being, although these effects were weaker for Russian women. Furthermore, for both men and women, perceived attainment of intrinsic goals was associated with greater well-being, whereas this was not the case for perceived attainment of extrinsic goals.
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Research Interests: Psychology and Autonomy
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In the quest to identify the key sources of subjective well-being, self-determination theory (SDT) has proposed that three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—are fundamental to well-being across cultures. To... more
In the quest to identify the key sources of subjective well-being, self-determination theory (SDT) has proposed that three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—are fundamental to well-being across cultures. To understand their influence on well-being, we analyzed data from European Social Survey on 27 European countries ( n = 48,550) using structural equation modeling with alignment invariance that allowed us to get comparable indicators across the countries. Both across Europe, and within each of the 27 countries, SDT’s basic psychological needs—both when examined alone and when examined together—were strongly related to key indicators of well-being (happiness, life satisfaction, and meaning in life) and a key indicator of ill-being (symptoms of depression), even controlling for demographic factors and socio-economic position. Moreover, basic needs substantially and sometimes fully mediated the effects of socio-economic position on well-being, underscoring their status as crucial to human well-being.
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Teachers’ behaviour is a key factor that influences students’ motivation. Many theoretical models have tried to explain this influence, with one of the most thoroughly researched being self-determination theory (SDT). We used a Delphi... more
Teachers’ behaviour is a key factor that influences students’ motivation. Many theoretical models have tried to explain this influence, with one of the most thoroughly researched being self-determination theory (SDT). We used a Delphi method to create a classification of teacher behaviours consistent with SDT. This is useful because SDT-based interventions have been widely used to improve educational outcomes. However, these interventions contain many components. Reliably classifying and labelling those components is essential for implementation, reproducibility, and evidence synthesis. We used an international expert panel (N = 34) to develop this classification system. We started by identifying behaviours from existing literature, then refined labels, descriptions, and examples using the experts’ input. Next, these experts iteratively rated the relevance of each behaviour to SDT, the psychological need that each behaviour influenced, and its likely effect on motivation. To create ...
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Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that experiences of autonomy lead people to be more prosocial, whereas experiences of control lead to antisocial actions. In this meta-analysis, we tested the links between autonomy and prosociality,... more
Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that experiences of autonomy lead people to be more prosocial, whereas experiences of control lead to antisocial actions. In this meta-analysis, we tested the links between autonomy and prosociality, and control and antisociality, across 139 reports (167 studies) with 1,189 effect sizes (N = 75,546 participants). We used two-stage structural equation modelling including both correlational and longitudinal study designs. We found support for the hypothesized direct links between autonomy and prosociality, and between control and antisociality, with cross-paths between these constructs being weaker. In line with SDT’s claims that the salutary effects of autonomy are universal, results also showed that the hypothesized links were consistent across cultures, genders, and age categories. We also reviewed emerging experimental research on the effect of autonomy-priming interventions on prosociality. To conclude, we discuss the theoretical and practic...
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In this review we examine the evidence regarding self-determination theory within the school physical education context. We applied a multilevel structural equation modeling approach to meta-analyze data from a systematic review that... more
In this review we examine the evidence regarding self-determination theory within the school physical education context. We applied a multilevel structural equation modeling approach to meta-analyze data from a systematic review that identified 265 relevant studies. In line with theory, autonomous motivation was positively correlated with adaptive outcomes and negatively correlated with maladaptive outcomes. Introjected regulation was modestly correlated with both adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. External regulation and amotivation both showed negative relationships with adaptive outcomes, and positive relationship with maladaptive outcomes. Also supporting SDT, autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfactions were strongly correlated with autonomous student motivation, and less strongly, but still positively, correlated with introjected regulation. Weak negative correlations were found between autonomy, competence, and relatedness and external regulation. Amotivation had moderate negative correlations with needs satisfaction. Findings further revealed that teachers more greatly impact classroom experiences of autonomy and competence, whereas relatedness in physical education is associated with both peer and teacher influences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
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The Problem There has been a “Copernican turn” in approaches to motivation and management: The focus in human resource development (HRD) and management circles today is no longer on how companies can motivate or incentivize employees from... more
The Problem There has been a “Copernican turn” in approaches to motivation and management: The focus in human resource development (HRD) and management circles today is no longer on how companies can motivate or incentivize employees from the outside, but instead on how they can effectively foster and support the high-quality motivation that comes from within employees. Developing affective commitment and intrinsic motivation is highlighted as a key to organizational success and employee satisfaction. The Solution In this article, we review our applications of self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) concerning how organizations can both assess and build a culture of high-quality motivation. We review a continuum of types of motivation in the workplace that range from passive or controlled compliance to personal valuing of and intrinsic interest in one’s work. We then discuss how support for employees’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness lea...
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Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested... more
Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence aut...
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Two studies examined the influence of emotions on nondirected learning. Nondirected learning is conceptualized as learning which occurs in the absence of external prompts, reinforcements, or specific instruction. In Study 1, one of two... more
Two studies examined the influence of emotions on nondirected learning. Nondirected learning is conceptualized as learning which occurs in the absence of external prompts, reinforcements, or specific instruction. In Study 1, one of two expository texts was given to ninety-two undergraduate subjects for the ostensible purpose of obtaining attitudinal and emotional ratings. Two separate measures of motivational and emotional factors and perceived comprehension were administered immediately following the subjects’ reading of the text. No mention of later testing occurred. After a brief delay, subjects’ recall of the texts was obtained and scored using a propositional coding scheme. Correlational results revealed that factor-analytically derived dimensions of interest-enjoyment and task involvement were positively associated with perceived comprehension text recall, while ego-involvement, shame, and hostility were negatively related to these same variables. Study 2 was conducted: first,...
When: June 2 - 5, 2016 (pre-conference events begin on June 1st)
Where: Victoria, BC, Canada
Website:
http://web.uvic.ca/sdt2016/
Contact:
sdt2016@uvic.ca
Where: Victoria, BC, Canada
Website:
http://web.uvic.ca/sdt2016/
Contact:
sdt2016@uvic.ca