Self-determination at work: Understanding the role of leader-member exchange

Integrating self-determination theory (SDT) and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, we explore the role of the leader in facilitating employee self-determination. We test a model of the linkages between employees’ leader-member exchanges, psychological need satisfaction (i.e., satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs), autonomous motivation, and attitudinal outcomes. We posit that high-quality leader-member exchanges facilitate satisfaction of employees’ fundamental psychological needs, which, in turn, enhance autonomous motivation and outcomes. Results for 283 working professionals supported this notion. Structural equation modeling indicated that the employee’s perception of the quality of the LMX was positively related to satisfaction of the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Satisfaction of competence and autonomy needs was positively related to autonomous motivation, which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, and subjective vitality. Our findings accentuate the role of leader-employee relationships in creating self-determination at work, and reinforce the importance of self-determination for employee attitudes and well-being. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Autonomy Support and Need Satisfaction in the Motivation and Well-Being of Gymnasts

This study examined the effects of young athletes' perceptions of support from coaches and parents on their need satisfaction, motivation, and well-being. Using the framework of self-determination theory (Ryan &Deci, 2000b), a 4-week diary study of 33 female gymnasts from the northeastern U.S. was conducted that examined (a) the relations of perceived parent and coach supports to the athlete's enduring and daily motivation and need satisfaction and (b) how daily motivation and psychological need satisfaction during practice affects athletes' well-being. Results obtained using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that, as predicted, daily motivation predicted pre-practice well-being, and that changes in well-being from pre- to post-practice varied systematically with the need satisfaction experienced during practice. Discussion highlights the importance of adult supports for adolescent sport participants to ensure need satisfaction, and the advantages of diary methodologies in sport research.     

Happiness and despair on the catwalk: Need satisfaction,well-being,and personality adjustment among fashion models

According to self-determination theory, well-being and healthy personality development depend on the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. However, various contextual features can interfere with need satisfaction and undermine well-being. We hypothesized that fashion models, who are often valued for superficial reasons (i.e., their looks) and who may not have regular opportunities to cultivate deep relationships or exercise personal control on the job, might experience lower psychological need satisfaction, less well-being, and less optimal personality adjustment. Two studies were conducted in which professional fashion models (N?=?56 in Study 1; N?=?35 in Study 2) were compared to approximately equally large groups of non-models. Fashion models reported slightly lower need satisfaction and well-being but greater personality maladjustment (personality disorder features). Mediation analyses in Study 1 suggested that the lower well-being among models was explained via unfulfilled basic needs. These findings further substantiate the importance of basic need satisfaction for well-being and optimal adjustment.     

Basic psychological needs and work motivation: A longitudinal test of directionality

Most work-related studies of self-determination theory (SDT) have focused either on satisfaction of basic psychological needs or on types of work motivation when studying motivational processes at work. The few studies that have considered both mechanisms have usually assumed that satisfaction or frustration of basic psychological needs is a prerequisite of different types of work motivation. Nevertheless, the directionality of this relation has not been explicitly tested in previous studies of the workplace. The current study explored the relations among managerial need support, basic psychological need satisfaction at work, and work motivation. It tested competing sets of hypotheses regarding the directionality of these three core constructs within SDT’s model of work motivation. A longitudinal analysis suggested that managerial need support was positively directly related to basic psychological need satisfaction but not directly related to work motivation. Further, results indicated that basic psychological need satisfaction was related to work motivation over time and not the other way around. In addition, it was found an indirect relation between in managerial need support and in work motivation through in basic psychological need satisfaction. These findings have important implications for future SDT research testing process models in the workplace.     

Attachment and well-being: The mediating effects of psychological needs satisfaction within the coach–athlete and parent–athlete relational contexts

ObjectivesGrounded in attachment theory and self-determination theory, this study aimed to examine whether basic needs satisfaction is a mechanism by which athletes' insecure attachment styles are associated with levels of well-being.MethodAthletes (N = 430) from a range of sports and competition levels completed a multi-section questionnaire to assess the main variables of the study.ResultsBootstrap mediation analysis revealed that athletes' perceptions of satisfaction of basic psychological needs generally mediated the association between their attachment styles and well-being. Moreover, the indirect effect of athletes' experience of the satisfaction of basic needs on well-being was greater within the parental relational context than within the coaching relational context.ConclusionsOverall, the findings from the study highlight that the integration of attachment and self-determination theories can promote understanding of relational process in sport.     

Understanding the negative effects of legal education on law students: a longitudinal test of self-determination theory

Longitudinal studies suggest that law school has a corrosive effect on the well-being, values, and motivation of students, ostensibly because of its problematic institutional culture. In a 3-year study of two different law schools, the authors applied self-determination theory's (SDT) dynamic process model of thriving to explain such findings. Students at both schools declined in psychological need satisfaction and well-being over the 3 years. However, student reports of greater perceived autonomy support by faculty predicted less radical declines in need satisfaction, which in turn predicted better well-being in the 3rd year and also a higher grade point average, better bar exam results, and more self-determined motivation for the first job after graduation. Institution-level analyses showed that although students at both schools suffered, one school was perceived as more controlling than the other, predicting greater difficulties for its students. Implications for SDT and for legal education are discussed.     

Self-determined motivation in physical education and its links to motivation for leisure-time physical activity, physical activity, and well-being in general

The present study tested a trans-contextual model based on self-determination theory of the relations between motivation in physical education, motivation in leisure-time physical activity, physical activity, and psychological well-being. Participants were 329 Norwegian upper secondary school students (M age = 16.5 yr., SD = 0.7). Students' perceptions of autonomy-supportive teachers in physical education were expected to be positively associated with students' psychological needs satisfaction in physical education, which was expected to be positively related to autonomous motivation for physical education participation. In turn, autonomous motivation for physical education was expected to be positively associated with perceived competence and autonomous motivation for leisure-time physical activity, which both were expected to be positively associated with leisure-time physical activity and psychological well-being in general. Structural equation models and bootstrapping supported the hypotheses and the indirect links between variables. Sex differences indicate that more research is needed on how to motivate girls to be more physically active in leisure time.     

Nussbaum’s Capabilities and Self-Determination Theory’s Basic Psychological Needs: Relating Some Fundamentals of Human Wellness

Research and theory concerning the nature and sources of well-being has been undertaken through varied approaches. Two such approaches are the capability approach and self-determination theory (SDT), both of which have postulated specific factors deemed necessary for human well-being and flourishing. In two studies we examine the relations between capabilities and well-being indicators, as well as the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction in these relations. Results indicate that both capabilities and SDT’s basic psychological needs are substantially associated with well-being, and that SDT’s basic needs partially mediate the relation between capabilities and indicators of wellness.     

The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior

Self-determination theory (SDT) maintains that an understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. We discuss the SDT concept of needs as it relates to previous need theories, emphasizing that needs specify the necessary conditions for psychological growth, integrity, and well-being. This concept of needs leads to the hypotheses that different regulatory processes underlying goal pursuits are differentially associated with effective functioning and well-being and also that different goal contents have different relations to the quality of behavior and mental health, specifically because different regulatory processes and different goal contents are associated with differing degrees of need satisfaction. Social contexts and individual differences that support satisfaction of the basic needs facilitate natural growth processes including intrinsically motivated behavior and integration of extrinsic motivations, whereas those that forestall autonomy, competence, or relatedness are associated with poorer motivation, performance, and well-being. We also discuss the relation of the psychological needs to cultural values, evolutionary processes, and other contemporary motivation theories.     

How does frustration make you feel? A motivational analysis in exercise context

Not all exercisers experience the same psychological benefits. The understanding of motivational processes and their relation with emotional consequences of exercise should be considered in the context of the exercisers motivation. This was a cross-sectional study of 153 gym users (M?=?36.21 years, SD?=?8.44; 44.9% men, 55.1% women; M years exercise?=?8). Weekly attendance averaged 4.3 (SD?=?2.6) sessions per week; reported exertion intensity was 5.6 (SD?=?2.1) (scale: 0–11). The basic psychological needs (BPNs) posited by self-determination theory, motivational regulation, and emotional response to physical activity, were measured. Possible mediators of BPN-emotion relationships were analyzed. BPN satisfaction was associated with a positive emotional response to exercise which was partially mediated by the effect of autonomous regulation on positive activation and psychological well-being. Mediation models indicated that the negative effects of BPN frustration were counteracted by autonomous regulation. Exercise professionals should be able to create psychologically supportive contexts and identify behaviors associated with need frustration so as to enhance emotional responses to exercise.     

Why individuals want money is what matters: Using self-determination theory to explain the differential relationship between motives for making money and employee psychological health

Researchers have debated for years whether money can lead to happiness. Indeed, the findings to date are contradictory in regard to the impact of individuals’ motives for making money on their psychological well-being. This study aimed to reconcile these findings and show that certain motives for making money can be beneficial to individuals’ psychological health, while others can be detrimental, not only by reducing well-being, but also by increasing ill-being. Based on self-determination theory, basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) were hypothesized to be the psychological mechanism explaining these differential effects. More precisely, need satisfaction and need frustration were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between employees’ money motives and psychological health (well-being and ill-being). Our findings suggest that self-integrated motives for making money lead to greater well-being and lesser ill-being by positively predicting need satisfaction and negatively predicting need frustration. On the other hand, non-integrated motives for making money appear to result in lesser well-being and greater ill-being by being negatively associated with need satisfaction and positively associated with need frustration. Together, these findings suggest that money motives can have differential effects on employees’ psychological health depending on whether these underlying reasons are need-satisfying or need-frustrating life goals.     

基于自我决定理论的工作动机研究脉络及未来走向

对2018年5月为止基于自我决定理论的工作动机研究英文文献的系统检索得到了97篇实证研究样本。基于自我决定理论的核心假设, 运用“环境-基本心理需要-工作动机-结果”的理论模型对工作动机前因和结果的研究脉络进行了仔细地分析和归纳, 结果表明员工基本心理需要满足和自主性工作动机作为中介变量可解释自主性支持的工作环境和员工个体特征对工作行为、态度和心理健康的积极影响。将来的主要研究议题：一是对控制性工作环境具体因素对员工基本心理需要阻滞、控制性动机和去动机以及员工工作行为、态度和心理健康影响的研究; 二是不同动机类型对员工业绩、行为和态度影响的过程以及情境因素的研究; 三是外部奖励(包括薪酬、基于业绩的奖励等)对员工工作动机、基本心理需要、工作业绩和心理健康的影响及边界条件的深入研究。     

Need Satisfaction Supportive Game Features as Motivational Determinants: An Experimental Study of a Self-Determination Theory Guided Exergame

Empirical studies have validated that basic needs satisfaction supported by video game play predicts motivation and engagement outcomes. However, few studies specifically manipulated game features for each of the three basic needs specified in the self-determination theory (SDT) to examine how the game features impact players' need satisfaction and game experience. The current study employed an in-house developed exergame and manipulated the game features in a 2 (autonomy-supportive game features: on vs. off) × 2 (competence-supportive game features: on vs. off) experiment to predict need satisfaction, game enjoyment, motivation for future play, effort for gameplay, self-efficacy for exercise using the game, likelihood of game recommendation, and game rating. The manipulated game features led to the corresponding need satisfaction. Manipulated autonomy-supportive and competence-supportive game features had main effects on most motivation and engagement outcomes. Need satisfaction of autonomy and need satisfaction of competence were both found to be mediators for the relationships between the game features and the motivation and engagement outcomes. The findings add evidence to support the underlying mechanism postulated by SDT for media enjoyment and motivation as well as the emerging entertainment research conceptualizing enjoyment as need satisfaction. The findings also have practical implications for intervention effort that intends to capitalize the motivational pull of video games.     

Changes in Motivation and Burnout Indices in High-Performance Coaches Over the Course of a Competitive Season

Being subject to a great range of demands is believed to increase burnout propensity in high-performance coaches. This study is the first to explore whether the 4-step self-determination theory process model is a valuable framework to better understand the process influencing burnout and well-being in high-performance coaches (N = 343, M = 40.33 years) throughout a competitive season. Findings indicated that coaches on average increased in burnout and decreased in well-being. Hypotheses were to a large extent supported: change in perceived environment → change in psychological need satisfaction → change in autonomous motivation → change in burnout and well-being.     

教师自主支持与学生学业成就关系的元分析:心理需要满足、动机及投入的中介作用

在教育实践中,教师作为教学活动的主要引导者,他们的教学风格对学生的学业成就具有重要影响。根据自我决定理论,自主支持型教师能够满足学生的基本心理需要,促进学习动机内化,进而提高学业投入及学业成就。本研究通过对37篇教师自主支持与学生学业成就的实证研究(53个独立样本,18278名学生)进行元分析,结果发现:(1)教师自主支持显著正向预测需要满足、动机、投入及学业成就;同时自主支持对需要满足、动机及投入的效应量高于对学业成就的效应量;(2)学生的需要满足及动机在教师自主支持对学业成就影响中起中介作用,但学业投入的中介作用不显著;(3)教师自主支持对学业成就的影响在不同年龄、经济与文化背景下没有显著差异。综上,在未来的教育活动中,教师应给予学生更多的自主支持,以满足学生基本心理需要,激发学生的学习动机,促进学业投入,提升学业成就。     

Basic need satisfaction in the parental relationship offsets millennials’ worries about the transition to college

ABSTRACT

Students’ worries about transitioning to college are correlated with long-term reduced psychological well-being, so we investigated how psychological need satisfaction might mitigate millennials’ worries about college. As parents can support or undermine their children’s basic needs, we also examined the influence of autonomy-supportive and helicopter parenting during the transition. Additionally, we compared these outcomes between first- and continuing-generation students. Incoming college students (N = 355) completed measures of parental relationship need satisfaction, parental involvement, worries about college, and family achievement guilt. Higher need satisfaction in the parental relationship was associated with reduced worries and feelings of achievement guilt for both first- and continuing-generation students. Autonomy-supportive parenting moderated the relationship between autonomy and millennials’ worries about college. Helicopter parenting did not moderate any of the relationships examined in this study but was positively associated with students’ transition worries and achievement guilt. We discuss these findings in the context of self-determination theory.     

The impact of job demands,climate, and optimism on well-being and distress at work: What are the mediating effects of basic psychological need satisfaction?

IntroductionPsychological health at work, a multidimensional concept grasped by the absence of negative states and by the presence of positive states, is here approximated in terms of distress and well-being.ObjectiveThis study was aimed at examining the extent to which job demands, individual resources (optimism), and organizational resources (climate) are linked to well-being and distress at work. We looked at whether these links are mediated in satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs posited in self-determination theory (competence, relatedness, and autonomy).MethodThe participants were 298 French elementary, middle, and high school teachers who were asked to answer a questionnaire. The data was analyzed using Hayes and Preacher's method for testing multiple mediations.ResultsSatisfaction of the psychological needs for competence and relatedness fully mediated the links between job climate and psychological health at work (well-being and distress). Optimism turned out to be an important factor of health, not only because it had a strong impact on well-being and distress, but also because its effects were partially mediated by satisfaction of the need for competence.ConclusionThe present results confirm the relevance of the variables used to predict psychological health (particularly optimism). Job demands directly affected well-being and distress levels. The climate — by way of satisfaction of the need for competence and for relatedness — plays a critical role in matters of occupational health.     

亲社会自主动机对青少年幸福感及亲社会行为的影响:基本心理需要满足的中介作用

本研究探讨了亲社会自主动机对青少年幸福感和亲社会行为的影响,并检验了基本心理需要满足的中介作用。研究1以293名青少年为研究对象,通过问卷法考察了亲社会自主动机、基本心理需要满足、幸福感和亲社会行为的关系;研究2以205名青少年为研究对象,通过实验法操纵亲社会自主动机（vs.受控动机）,并考察其对基本心理需要满足、幸福感和亲社会行为的影响。研究结果表明,亲社会自主动机显著正向预测青少年的幸福感和亲社会行为,并且基本心理需要满足在亲社会自主动机对幸福感和亲社会行为的预测中都起到了中介作用;相反,亲社会受控动机则不利于青少年基本心理需要的满足,进而不能有效地提升其幸福感和亲社会行为。     

A Test of Self-Determination Theory in the Exercise Domain

In accordance with self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985 ), this study examined the relationship between autonomy support, psychological need satisfaction, motivational regulations, and exercise behavior. Participants ( N =369) were recruited from fitness, community, and retail settings. Fulfillment of the 3 basic psychological needs (i.e., competence, autonomy, and relatedness) related to more self-determined motivational regulations. Identified and introjected regulations emerged as positive predictors of strenuous and total exercise behaviors. Competence need satisfaction also predicted directly—and indirectly via identified regulation—strenuous exercise. For participants engaged in organized fitness classes, perceptions of autonomy support provided by exercise class leaders predicted psychological need satisfaction. Furthermore, competence need satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between autonomy support and intrinsic motivation. These findings support SDT in the exercise domain.