Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T21:56:58.318Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - Changing Behavior Using Self-Determination Theory

from Part I - Theory and Behavior Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2020

By
Martin S. Hagger ,
Nelli Hankonen ,
Nikos L. D. Chatzisarantis  and
Richard M. Ryan
Edited by
Martin S. Hagger ,
Linda D. Cameron ,
Kyra Hamilton ,
Nelli Hankonen  and
Taru Lintunen
Martin S. Hagger
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Linda D. Cameron
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Kyra Hamilton
Affiliation:
Griffith University
Nelli Hankonen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Taru Lintunen
Affiliation:
University of Jyväskylä
Get access

Summary

Self-determination theory is a generalized theory of behavior that focuses on motivation quality and psychological need satisfaction as preeminent behavioral determinants. The theory distinguishes between autonomous and controlled forms of motivation. Autonomous motivation reflects willingly engaging in behaviors for self-endorsed reasons, whereas controlled motivation reflects engaging in behavior for externally or internally pressured or controlled reasons. Satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness is necessary for optimal functioning and well-being, and influences the form of motivation, autonomous or controlled, experienced by individuals when acting. Autonomous motivation is consistently related to sustained behavior change and adaptive outcomes. Interventions to promote autonomous motivation have targeted psychological need support provided by social agents (e.g., leaders, managers, teachers, health professionals), particularly autonomy need support. Interventions using need-supportive techniques have demonstrated efficacy in promoting autonomous motivation, behavior change, and adaptive outcomes. Research has identified behaviors displayed, and language used, by social agents, or communicated by other means, that support autonomous motivation. Autonomy-support training programs have been developed to train social agents to promote autonomous motivation and behavior change. Future research needs to examine the unique and interactive effects of specific autonomy-support techniques, provide further evidence for long-term efficacy, and examine “dose” effects and long-term efficacy.

Keywords

intrinsic and extrinsic motivationautonomous motivationcontrolled motivationbasic psychological needsautonomy supportneed supportrelatednesscompetenceinternalizationlocus of causality
Type
Chapter
Information
The Handbook of Behavior Change , pp. 104 - 119
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aelterman, N., Vansteenkiste, M., Haerens, L., Soenens, B., Fontaine, J. R. J., & Reeve, J. (2019). Toward an integrative and fine-grained insight in motivating and demotivating teaching styles: The merits of a circumplex approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111, 497–521. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000293Google Scholar
Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., & Hagger, M. S. (2009). Effects of an intervention based on self-determination theory on self-reported leisure-time physical activity participation. Psychology and Health, 24, 29–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440701809533CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., Hagger, M. S., Biddle, S. J. H., Smith, B., & Wang, C. K. J. (2003). A meta-analysis of perceived locus of causality in exercise, sport, and physical education contexts. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25, 284–306. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.25.3.284Google Scholar
Cheon, S. H., & Reeve, J. (2013). Do the benefits from autonomy-supportive PE teacher training programs endure? A one-year follow-up investigation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14, 508–518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.02.002Google Scholar
Cheon, S. H., Reeve, J., & Moon, I. (2012). Experimentally based, longitudinally designed, teacher-focused intervention to help physical education teachers be more autonomy supportive toward their students. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 34, 365–396. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.34.3.365Google Scholar
Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18, 105–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deci, E. L., Connell, J. P., & Ryan, R. M. (1989). Self-determination in a work organization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 580–590. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-TS (global): Change en-dashes in URLs for DOIs to hyphens throughout to ensure links work correctly.9010.74.4.580Google Scholar
Deci, E. L., Eghrari, H., Patrick, B. C., & Leone, D. R. (1994). Facilitating internalization: The self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Personality, 62, 119–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1994.tb00797.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 627–668.Google Scholar
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985a). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 19, 109–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-6566(85)90023-6Google Scholar
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985b). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
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. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01Google Scholar
Deci, E. L., Spiegel, N. H., Ryan, R. M., Koestner, R., & Kauffman, M. (1982). Effects of performance standards on teaching styles: Behavior of controlling teachers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 852–859. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.74.6.852Google Scholar
Fortier, M. S., Duda, J. L., Guerin, E., & Teixeira, P. J. (2012). Promoting physical activity: Development and testing of self-determination theory-based interventions. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-20Google Scholar
Gillison, F. B., Rouse, P., Standage, M., Sebire, S., & Ryan, R. M. (2018). A meta-analysis of techniques to promote motivation for health behaviour change from a self-determination theory perspective. Health Psychology Review, 13, 110–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2018.1534071CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hagger, M. S., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. D. (2011). Causality orientations moderate the undermining effect of rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 485–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.10.010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hankonen, N., Heino, M. T. J., Araujo-Soares, V. et al. (2016). “Let’s Move It”: A school-based multilevel intervention to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among older adolescents in vocational secondary schools: A study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial. BMC Public Health, 16, 451. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3094-xGoogle Scholar
Howard, J. L., Gagné, M., & Bureau, J. S. (2017). Testing a continuum structure of self-determined motivation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 143, 1346–1377. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000125CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jang, H., Reeve, J., & Deci, E. L. (2010). Engaging students in learning activities: It is not autonomy support or structure but autonomy support and structure. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 588–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019682Google Scholar
Knittle, K., Heino, M. T. J., Marques, M. M., Stenius, M., Beattie, M., Ehbrecht, F., Hagger, M. S., Hardeman, W., & Hankonen, N. (2020). The compendium of self-enactable techniques to change and self-manage motivation and behaviour v1. 0. Nature Human Behavior, 4, 215–223. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0798-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ng, J. Y. Y., Ntoumanis, N., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C. et al. (2012). Self-determination theory applied to health contexts. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612447309CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patall, E. A., Cooper, H., & Robinson, J. C. (2008). The effects of choice on intrinsic motivation and related outcomes: A meta-analysis of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 270–300. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.270Google Scholar
Reeve, J. (2002). Self-determination theory applied to educational settings. In Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (Eds.), Handbook of Self-Determination Research (pp. 183–203). Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.Google Scholar
Reeve, J., Bolt, E., & Cai, Y. (1999). Autonomy-supportive teachers: How they teach and motivate students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 537–548. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.3.537Google Scholar
Reeve, J., & Jang, H. (2006). What teachers say and do to support students’ autonomy during a learning activity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 209–218. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.209Google Scholar
Reeve, J., Jang, H., Carrell, D., Jeon, S. Y., & Barch, J. (2004). Enhancing students’ engagement by increasing teachers’ autonomy support. Motivation and Emotion, 28, 147–169. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MOEM.0000032312.95499.6 fGoogle Scholar
Reeve, J., Jang, H., Hardre, P., & Omura, M. (2002). Providing a rationale in an autonomy-supportive way as a strategy to motivate others during an uninteresting activity. Motivation and Emotion, 26, 183–207. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1021711629417CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, R. M., & Connell, J. P. (1989). Perceived locus of causality and internalization: Examining reasons for acting in two domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 749–761. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.5.749Google Scholar
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development and Wellness. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Ryan, R. M., Mims, V., & Koestner, R. (1983). Relation of reward contingency and interpersonal context to extrinsic motivation: A review and test using cognitive evaluation theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 736–750.Google Scholar
Shah, K. N., Majeed, Z., Yoruk, Y. B. et al. (2016). Enhancing physical function in HIV-infected older adults: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Health Psychology, 35, 563–573. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000311Google Scholar
Silva, M. N., Vieira, P. N., Coutinho, S. R. et al. (2010). Using self-determination theory to promote physical activity and weight control: A randomized controlled trial in women. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 33, 110–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-009-9239-yGoogle Scholar
Sparks, C., Lonsdale, C., Dimmock, J. A., & Jackson, B. (2017). An intervention to improve teachers’ interpersonally involving instructional practices in high school physical Education: Implications for student relatedness support and in-class experiences. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 39, 120–133. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2016-0198Google Scholar
Spring, B., Gotsis, M., Paiva, A., & Spruijt-Metz, D. (2013). Healthy apps: Mobile devices for continuous monitoring and intervention. IEEE Pulse, 4, 34–40. https://doi.org/10.1109/MPUL.2013.2279620Google Scholar
Su, Y. L., & Reeve, J. (2011). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of intervention programs designed to support autonomy. Educational Psychology Review, 23, 159–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9142-7Google Scholar
Teixeira, P. J., Palmeira, A., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2012). The role of self-determination theory and motivational interviewing in behavioral nutrition, physical activity, and health: An introduction to the IJBNPA special series. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-17Google Scholar
Teixeira, P. J., Marques, M. M., Silva, M. N. et al. (2020). Classification of techniques used in self-determination theory-based interventions in health contexts: An expert consensus study. Motivation Science. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000172Google Scholar
Tessier, D., Sarrazin, P., & Ntoumanis, N. (2010). The effect of an intervention to improve newly qualified teachers’ interpersonal style, students motivation and psychological need satisfaction in sport-based physical education. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35, 242–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.05.005Google Scholar
Tilga, H., Hein, V., Koka, A., Hamilton, K., & Hagger, M. S. (2019). The role of teachers’ controlling behaviour in physical education on adolescents’ health-related quality of life: Test of a conditional process model. Educational Psychology, 39, 862–880. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1546830Google Scholar
Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., & Deci, E. L. (2006). Intrinsic versus extrinsic goal contents in self-determination theory: Another look at the quality of academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 41, 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4101_4Google Scholar
Vasquez, A. C., Patall, E. A., Fong, C. J., Corrigan, A. S., & Pine, L. (2015). Parent autonomy support, academic achievement, and psychosocial functioning: A meta-analysis of research. Educational Psychology Review, 28, 605–644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9329-zGoogle Scholar
Weinstein, N., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). When helping helps: Autonomous motivation for prosocial behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 222–244. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016984CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, G. C., Deci, E. L., Niemiec, C. P., Ryan, R. M., & Patrick, H. (2016). Outcomes of the smoker’s health project: A pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial of tobacco-dependence interventions based on self-determination theory. Health Education Research, 31, 749–759. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyw046Google Scholar
Williams, G. C., Lynch, M., & Glasgow, R. E. (2007). Computer-assisted intervention improves patient-centered diabetes care by increasing autonomy support. Health Psychology, 26, 728–734. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.26.6.728Google Scholar
Williams, G. C., McGregor, H. A., Sharp, D. et al. (2006). Testing a self-determination theory intervention for motivating tobacco cessation: Supporting autonomy and competence in a clinical trial. Health Psychology, 25, 91–101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.25.1.91CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, G. C., Rodin, G. C., Ryan, R. M., Grolnick, W. S., & Deci, E. L. (1998). Autonomous regulation and long-term medication adherence in adult outpatients. Health Psychology, 17, 269–276.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×