Self-determination is the ability of an individual to determine his own behavioral pattern. At the same time, the person himself independently determines his own goals, methods and ways of achieving them. His consciousness has autonomy from the external environment and is inseparable from self-awareness. Simply put, the term in question represents the ability to independently choose the course and routes of self-development. The concept of self-determination cannot be identified with self-sufficiency. It is broader and combines absolute harmony with the external environment and self-regulation as a way to preserve it.
Formation of self-determination mechanisms
The formation of self-determination mechanisms can act as a special, highest level of development. This is typical for all living organisms that have self-regulation. It is judged by the degree of development and the nature of the structural organization of the individual’s potential.
Definition 2
Self-determination is the ability of a person to choose and have his own choice. It is contrasted with determination, which is the influence of external forces on human behavior.
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Self-determination is also considered the ability to independently choose the direction of self-development. It was postulated that a person has the abilities and opportunities for a healthy and fulfilling life. If, from childhood, the conditions of a child’s existence have contributed to providing him with freedom to choose activities and areas of interest, then he grows up to be a healthy and full-fledged person with a wide range of opportunities without imposing unnecessary restrictions.
The purpose of the concept of self-determination is to identify the factors that nourish a person's innate potential. They are able to determine growth, integration and health. It also involves the process of exploring the conditions that support the healthy development and effective functioning of individuals, groups and communities.
Motivational subsystem
Each type of locus of causation has its own motivational subsystem - the type of prevailing motivation that explains how people react in different situations, in accordance with stable internal states. The motivational subsystem is a set consisting of affective experiences, beliefs and attitudes about oneself, the environment and other people, as well as a program of interaction with the environment, since internal states and the process associated with behavior are organized by motivational processes.” There are three types of motivational subsystem: internal, external and amotivating.
Development of self-determination in adults
Self-determination is the basic innate tendency that leads an organism to engage in behavior of interest. The latter most often has advantages for developing the ability to carry out flexible interaction with social actors and the environment.
Finished works on a similar topic
Course work Self-determination in the personal stories of adult respondents 460 ₽ Abstract Self-determination in the personal stories of adult respondents 280 ₽ Test work Self-determination in the personal stories of adult respondents 250 ₽
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The empirical criteria for self-determination are:
- spontaneity,
- creativity,
- interest and personal significance as reasons for action,
- feelings and feeling free,
- certain psycholinguistic indicators (for example, the verbs “should” and “want” that predominate in speech).
The need for self-determination begins to develop from the first days of life. From the moment of birth, a child has natural tendencies to explore, manipulate, and be curious. All these signs are inherent at the end of the 6th month as a free “I”. By 9 months, their expression occurs through an absolute preference for novelty; at one year, this leads to persistent attempts to be able to do something. Already in older years, the characteristics differentiate into various specific interests.
In such tendencies, internal motivation occurs, so the signs cannot require external stimulus or pressure, arising spontaneously. This occurs in the absence of obstacles from the social context.
An internally motivated form of activity is capable of providing its own rewards such as excitement, interest and pleasure (that accompany it). It is an end in itself and does not include means to achieve more distant consequences.
Note 1
The concept of “self-determination” was proposed and developed in detail by American scientists Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. They formulated the basic provisions of the concept in relation to the problem of motivation of individual behavior in the 80s. 20th century.
Explaining the reasons for human behavior, this theory took into account not only the influences exerted by the environment, but also his own aspirations and ability to coordinate external requirements and available potential opportunities to achieve his goals.
Contents of the publication
| № | Bibliographic description |
| 1 | Leontyev, Dmitry Alekseevich. From instincts to choice, meaning and self-regulation, psychology of motivation yesterday, today and tomorrow / D. A. Leontiev // Modern psychology of motivation: / ed. D. A. Leontieva. – M., 2002. – P. 4–12. BBK 88.532 + 88.332.2 Full description |
Autonomous, external and impersonal causal orientation
Autonomous causal orientation
People with an autonomous causal orientation use an intrinsic motivational subsystem
, which is based on an internally perceived personal locus of causality.
They are characterized by a sense of competence, self-determination, effectively manage their motives, and have high self-esteem. Awareness of basic needs is quite high; in order to make decisions about behavior, information is analyzed with its further active application, which is precisely the reason for the experienced feelings, flexible behavior and high sensitivity to changes in the environment. For people with an autonomous causal orientation, the reward for the outcome is the activity itself. They are able to turn automated behavior into self-determined behavior: they have more control over it and change behavior at their own discretion. In case of failure, such people rarely blame themselves.
External causal orientation
People with a dominant external causal orientation are characterized by a desire for super-achievement, focusing on external signs of success. They have a sense of connectedness between results and reward: that is, the reward is separate from the action itself. This lifestyle is led by a lack of self-determination - this is a person operating with an external motivational subsystem
, which implies inflexibility of behavioral reactions, a lower level of self-esteem, and a tendency to focus on external stimuli. The choice is made under the influence of external criteria, and not one’s own internal needs. Such people pay a lot of attention to external circumstances, evaluation of themselves by other people, they “have lost touch with basic organic needs. The loss of a sense of self-determination is compensated by a strong need for external control.”
Impersonal causal orientation
People with an impersonal causal orientation experience the phenomenon of “learned helplessness.” Such people have a prevailing feeling that their actions are in no way connected with the results and reactions of the environment. The feeling of unpredictability, uncontrollability, and illogical reactions in a given situation gives rise to reluctance to make efforts, self-doubt, lack of self-determination and the predominance of automatic, helpless behavior.
In such a person, the leading position is occupied by the amotivating subsystem
with inserts
of external motivating
, which implies a very low level of self-esteem, competence, self-determination, suppression of emotions.
With an external and impersonal causal orientation
The individual develops psychological defenses against unwanted information, stimuli that are unpleasant and unacceptable to a person. According to research by Deracheva and Leontiev, “autonomous causal orientation significantly positively correlates with support for autonomy in children, with the level of ego development and with self-esteem; negatively - with self-deprecation." They rarely experience negative emotions such as hostility, shame and guilt, and are “more focused and persistent in achieving goals.” People with a high degree of autonomous causal orientation perceive everyday events more positively and are less likely to experience unpleasant emotions. “External causal orientation is significantly positively correlated with Type A behavior patterns associated with cardiac disease (includes aggressive tendencies, feelings of pressure and tension). Impersonal causal orientation is significantly positively correlated with self-deprecation, depression, and social anxiety and negatively correlated with self-esteem.”
Literature
- Gordeeva T.O. Psychology of achievement motivation. M.: Smysl, Academy, 2006. – 336 p.
- Gordeeva T.O. Self-determination theory: present and future. Part 1: Problems of theory development. Psychological research: electronic scientific journal, 2010, No. 4 (12) URL: https://psystudy.ru
- Gordeeva T.O. Self-determination theory: present and future. Part 2: Issues of practical application of the theory // Psychological research: electronic scientific journal, 2010, No. 5 (13) URL: https://psystudy.ru
- Dergacheva O.E. Autonomy and self-determination in the psychology of motivation: the theory of E. Deci and R. Ryan.
- Dergacheva O.E. Personal autonomy as a subject of psychological research: abstract. M., 2005. URL: https://institut.smysl.ru/article/ar-dergacheva.php
- Dergacheva O.E. The main provisions of the theory of self-determination by E. Deci and R. Ryan
- Dergacheva O.E. , Dorfman L.Ya. , Leontyev D.A. Russian-language adaptation of the Causal Orientations Questionnaire.
- Leontyev D.A. “Psychology of freedom: towards posing the problem of self-determination of personality” // Psychological Journal. Volume 21, No. 1, 2000
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- Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory
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The psychology of self-determination. Toronto, 1980. - Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268.
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Financial motivation
Let's start the conversation about motivation with a rather provocative statement:
Financial incentives can negatively impact overall job performance.
This is not a headline from the tabloid press, but one of the conclusions of a fairly large-scale study by the London School of Economics, which was conducted in 2009. It involved 51 companies that paid only for labor productivity.
The British found out that in fact, finances do not always have a positive impact on how a person works, with what desire and passion he does it, and what results he achieves. Passion and desire are one thing - I can be very passionate about my task - but if the result is not very good, then it is only so-so involvement.
The basis was the candle experiment conducted by Karl Duncker in the 1940s to show the difference between solving a creative problem and mechanically executing an order. Since then, this experiment has been carried out and modified for many years in a row. For example, in the 1960s, Princeton University psychologist Sam Glucksberg took this case to study financial motivation. And I found out that in the group with research motivation the results are better than in the group with financial motivation.
Why did this happen? One of the conclusions that was made: in tasks where everything is clear (pipeline types of tasks), finance really helps to stimulate greater productivity. But if a non-standard approach is required, then the financial incentive, if it is the only and leading one, will most likely slow down the solution of the problem. A person’s focus narrows, causing him to try to “get money” rather than “find a solution.”
Main thoughts
A system of material rewards and punishments alone will not ensure the maximum possible productivity of employees involved in working with creative elements.
It narrows the focus of employees' attention, which negatively affects their ability to invent new things and make decisions. And this already affects the company’s results.
Currently, in most companies, work is not uniform and not conveyor belt. For example, the activities of developers, and many office employees, require an integrated approach to solving problems.
The good news is that a team leader can always cultivate a different culture in his team.
For a deeper understanding, let’s move on to an analysis of the types of motivation and their impact on employee activity and engagement.
