The concepts of self-regulation and autonomy are examined within an organizational
framework. We begin by retracing the historical origins of the organizational viewpoint in early
debates within the field of biology between vitalists and reductionists, from which the construct
of self-regulation emerged. We then consider human autonomy as an evolved behavioral,
developmental, and experiential phenomenon that operates at both neurobiological and
psychological levels and requires very specific supports within higher order social organizations.
We contrast autonomy or true self-regulation with controlling regulation (a nonautonomous form
of intentional behavior) in phenomenological and functional terms, and we relate the forms of
regulation to the developmental processes of intrinsic motivation and internalization.
Subsequently, we describe how self-regulation versus control may be characterized by distinct
neurobiological underpinnings, and we speculate about some of the adaptive advantages that may
underlie the evolution of autonomy. Throughout, we argue that disturbances of autonomy, which
have both biological and psychological etiologies, are central to many forms of psychopathology
and social alienation.