Goal contents,motivation, psychological need satisfaction,well-being and physical activity: A test of self-determination theory over 6 months

ObjectivesThis investigation examined how Goal Contents Theory, Organismic Integration Theory, and Basic Psychological Needs Theory collectively explain well-being and behavioral outcomes related to physical activity over 6 months. Specifically we examined a model whereby changes in relative intrinsic goal contents → changes in motivation → changes in psychological need satisfaction → well-being and physical activity.Methods and designParticipants were 203 adults from the general population (68.00% female; M_age = 32.57 years, SD = 15.73). Two identical questionnaire packages containing assessments of goal contents, motivational regulations, basic psychological need satisfaction, indicators of well-being and physical activity behavior, separated by six months were given to participants. Residualized change scores were analyzed with path analysis.ResultsResults supported the hypothesized sequence of SDT. Changes in psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between changes in autonomous motivation and well-being. A more complex pattern of results emerged for the indirect effects of motivation and psychological need satisfaction between relative intrinsic goals → well-being. Changes in competence satisfaction mediated the relationship between autonomous motivation and physical activity behavior. Moreover, changes in autonomous motivation through competence satisfaction mediated the relationship between relative intrinsic goals and physical activity.ConclusionsFindings support a model based on 3 mini-theories of SDT and suggest that psychological need fulfillment during physical activity could be a key mechanism that facilitates increased well-being and behavior. Findings also highlight the importance of examining competence, autonomy, and relatedness independently (rather than as a composite).     

How ‘other people matter’ in a classroom-based strengths intervention: Exploring interpersonal strategies and classroom outcomes

Interventions that identify and develop character strengths have been shown to benefit well-being, academic engagement and achievement. Strengths research within positive psychology has focused primarily on individual outcomes with less attention on group or relationships effects. This study (N?=?193) examined the effect of a classroom-based strengths intervention on class cohesion and friction, relatedness, engagement, well-being and strengths use. A six-session programme was trialled with 9–12-year-old students. Students learned to recognise strengths and practised strengths-related goal setting. At three-months post-test, multi-level modelling indicated that intervention group participants scored significantly higher on class cohesion and relatedness need satisfaction, and lower on class friction than the non-randomised control group. Programme participants also reported higher levels of positive affect, classroom engagement, autonomy need satisfaction and strengths use. School-based strengths interventions may influence individual perceptions of class climate, engagement and student relatedness in addition to individual well-being.     

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.     

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。     

Predicting moral attitudes and antisocial behavior in young team sport athletes: A self‐determination theory perspective

Identifying the factors associated with prosocial and antisocial behaviors in youth sport may provide evidence to inform interventions aimed at promoting prosocial behaviors and minimizing rule transgressions in young athletes. We investigated relations among social‐contextual factors (e.g., social support), personal motivational factors (e.g., psychological need satisfaction and motivation), young athletes’ attitudes toward prosocial (e.g., keeping winning in proportion) and antisocial (e.g., acceptance of cheating and gamesmanship) behaviors, and their actual rule violations during matches in two samples of athletes. Participants in Sample 1 were young team sport athletes (N = 355) and participants in Sample 2 were young male futsal players (N = 296). Athletes in Sample 1 completed validated self‐report measures of perceived autonomy support, basic need satisfaction, and autonomous and controlled motivation from self‐determination theory, moral attitudes, and past cheating behaviors. Athletes in Sample 2 completed identical measures and two additional behavioral measures: athletes’ self‐reported number of yellow cards received during competition in the last 6 months and the number of yellow cards athletes received from referees in the subsequent 2 months from competition records. We found significant relations between psychological need satisfaction and self‐determined motivation, and athletes’ moral attitudes in both samples. These effects held when statistically controlling for past behavior. Importantly, our prospective analysis of Sample 2 indicated that attitudes toward antisocial behaviors predicted athletes’ rule violations during subsequent tournament matches. Findings indicate that promoting autonomous motivation and need satisfaction through autonomy support may foster attitudes toward prosocial behaviors, and minimize rule transgressions, in young athletes.     

Extending the trans‐contextual model in physical education and leisure‐time contexts: Examining the role of basic psychological need satisfaction

Background. The trans‐contextual model (TCM) is an integrated model of motivation that aims to explain the processes by which agentic support for autonomous motivation in physical education promotes autonomous motivation and physical activity in a leisure‐time context. It is proposed that perceived support for autonomous motivation in physical education is related to autonomous motivation in physical education and leisure‐time contexts. Furthermore, relations between autonomous motivation and the immediate antecedents of intentions to engage in physical activity behaviour and actual behaviour are hypothesized. Aims. The purpose of the present study was to incorporate the constructs of basic psychological need satisfaction in the TCM to provide a more comprehensive explanation of motivation and demonstrate the robustness of the findings of previous tests of the model that have not incorporated these constructs. Sample. Students (N=274) from Greek secondary schools. Method. Participants completed self‐report measures of perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation, and basic psychological need satisfaction in physical education. Follow‐up measures of these variables were taken in a leisure‐time context along with measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and intentions from the theory of planned behaviour 1 week later. Self‐reported physical activity behaviour was measured 4 weeks later. Results. Results supported TCM hypotheses. Basic psychological need satisfaction variables uniquely predicted autonomous motivation in physical education and leisure time as well as the antecedents of intention, namely, attitudes, and PBC. The basic psychological need satisfaction variables also mediated the effects of perceived autonomy support on autonomous motivation in physical education. Conclusions. Findings support the TCM and provide further information of the mechanisms in the model and integrated theories of motivation in physical education and leisure time.     

The why and how of goal pursuits: Effects of global autonomous motivation and perceived control on emotional well-being

This study examined the effects of global autonomous motivation and global perceived control on young adults’ adaptive goal striving and emotional well-being. We reasoned that autonomously motivated participants who also perceive high levels of control would make accelerated progress with the pursuit of their most important goal and experience associated increases in emotional well-being. By contrast, we predicted that these benefits of autonomous motivation would be reduced among participants who perceive low levels of control. A 6-month longitudinal study of 125 college students was conducted, and self-reported global autonomous motivation, global perceived control, progress towards the most important goal, and emotional well-being were assessed. Regression analyses showed that the combination of high baseline levels of global autonomous motivation and global perceived control was associated with accelerated goal progress after 6 months, which mediated 6-month increases in emotional well-being. These benefits were not apparent among autonomously motivated participants who perceived low levels of control. The study’s findings suggest that global autonomous motivation and perceived control may need to work together to foster adaptive goal striving and emotional well-being.     

How Colleagues Can Support Each Other's Needs and Motivation: An Intervention on Employee Work Motivation

Organisations have flattened and increasingly rely on teamwork. Therefore, colleagues play an increasingly important role in stimulating employee motivation. Adopting Self‐Determination Theory as a guiding framework, the aim of this field experiment was to examine whether team members can be trained in supporting each other's basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and, hence, increase each other's need satisfaction and autonomous motivation, while decreasing controlled motivation. We delivered training to 146 participants nested in 26 participating teams and assessed basic need satisfaction and autonomous and controlled motivation before and after the intervention. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that employees in the experimental (i.e. intervention) condition had a stronger increase in need satisfaction and autonomous motivation than employees did in the control condition, and that the increase in autonomous motivation was mediated by an increase in need satisfaction. This study provides added value for theory on need satisfaction and demonstrates that a relatively brief intervention among team members may be effective in creating employee need support and increasing autonomous motivation.     

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.     

The Impact of Organizational Factors on Psychological Needs and Their Relations with Well-Being

Purpose

The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationships between perceived organizational support, perceptions of supervisor’s interpersonal style, psychological need satisfaction and need thwarting, and hedonic and eudaemonic well-being.

Design/Methodology/Approach

In Study 1 (n?=?468), we tested a model in which workers’ perceived organizational support and their perceptions of their supervisor autonomy support independently predicted satisfaction of the workers’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which in turn predicted aspects of hedonic and eudaemonic well-being. In Study 2 (n?=?650), workers’ perceptions of supervisor controlling behaviors and need thwarting were added to the hypothesized model tested in Study 1. Scales of work satisfaction and positive affect were used to assess hedonic well-being, and a scale of psychological well-being was used to assess eudaemonic well-being.

Findings

Perceived organizational support and supervisors’ interpersonal style related to basic need satisfaction (Studies 1 and 2) and need thwarting (Study 2). In turn, need satisfaction predicted higher levels of hedonic and eudaemonic well-being, while need thwarting was negatively associated with hedonic and eudaemonic well-being.

Implications

The present results underscore the importance of understanding the mechanisms through which organizations and managers related to workers’ hedonic and eudaemonic well-being.

Originality/Value

This is the first research to provide evidence for the mediating role of need satisfaction and need thwarting in the relationships between perceived organizational support, perceptions of supervisor’s interpersonal style, and hedonic and eudaemonic well-being. The present results were obtained in two samples of employees from various small to large companies.     

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.     

Coaching Behaviors,Satisfaction of Needs,and Intrinsic Motivation Among Chinese University Athletes

This cross-sectional study applied self-determination theory to understand the relationship between coaching behaviors, psychological need satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation among young Chinese athletes from 2 universities in Macao, China (N = 208). In the path model with the demographics adjusted, coaching behaviors (training instruction, democratic behaviors, autocratic behaviors, social support, and positive feedback) and need satisfaction (perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness) explained 44% of the variance in intrinsic motivation. We also found indirect effects of some coaching behaviors on intrinsic motivation through satisfying the psychological needs. Furthermore, independent self-construal significantly moderated the relationship between perceived relatedness and intrinsic motivation.     

Greater autonomous motivation for study and basic psychological need satisfaction by being presently aware and ‘letting go’: An exploration of mindful attention and nonattachment

Mindful attention appears to facilitate greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Recent findings suggest that nonattachment may arise from mindfulness, with nonattachment being found to mediate relationships between mindfulness and various outcomes, such as increased wellbeing. Across two undergraduate samples, nonattachment was found to partially mediate relationships between mindful attention and the perceived satisfaction of each of autonomy, competence, and relatedness with others (N?=?247), and greater relative autonomous motivation for study (N?=?578). The findings therefore support and extend on existing research related to mindful attention within the Self-Determination Theory literature while also adding to the growing literature on the apparent benefits of nonattachment. Future research on autonomous motivation and basic need satisfaction may therefore benefit from considering nonattachment alongside mindful attention.

     

Self-efficacy and affect responses to Sprint Interval Training

ObjectivesTo examine the influence of efficacious beliefs on affective states, enjoyment, and satisfaction after performing a maximal intensity exercise task (i.e. Sprint Interval Training (SIT).DesignAn experimental design was utilized and participants were randomized to a high self-efficacy feedback (HE), low self-efficacy feedback (LE), or no feedback control condition.MethodsCollege-aged men and women (n = 74) performed four 30-second maximal sprints, interspersed with 4-min breaks. Following each sprint interval, participants received either positive, negative or no feedback and SIT self-efficacy, affective states (i.e., positive well-being, psychological distress, fatigue), heart rate (HR), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed. Upon terminating the exercise session, enjoyment and satisfaction were assessed.ResultsThere was group equivalency in HR and RPE among participants of each group. The HE group had significantly less of a decline in SIT self-efficacy from pre to post SIT than both the LE and control groups, and reported significantly higher levels of exercise enjoyment than the other two groups. In addition, the HE and control groups reported significantly higher satisfaction than the LE group.ConclusionsWe recommend that exercisers receive positive feedback statements while performing SIT to minimize the decrease in SIT self-efficacy and to bolster feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction.     

Helping Others Helps? A Self-Determination Theory Approach on Work Climate and Wellbeing among Volunteers

Participation in voluntary work is not sufficient to facilitate one’s psychological wellbeing and the motivation underlying this helping behavior may matter. Grounded in self-determination theory, this survey research examined the relationships among a supportive work climate, autonomous/controlled motivation, and subjective wellbeing (i.e., emotional exhaustion and life satisfaction). Volunteers (n = 2022) answered a survey form measuring the related study variables. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that a supportive work climate positively and negatively predicted autonomous and controlled motivation, respectively. Autonomous motivation was a negative predictor of emotional exhaustion and a positive predictor of life satisfaction, whereas controlled motivation positively predicted emotional exhaustion and negatively predicted life satisfaction. A supportive work climate had an indirect effect on emotional exhaustion and life satisfaction via autonomous/controlled motivation. These findings suggest that only when volunteers are motivated by autonomous forms of motivation will their subjective wellbeing be enhanced.

     

The Confounding Role of Basic Needs Satisfaction Between Self-Determined Motivation and Well-Being

In this study three different theories grounded on Self-determination macro-theory (Basic Psychological Needs Theory, Organismic Integration Theory, and Hierarchical Model of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation) were combined into a single structural model to evaluate its goodness-of-fit to empirical data. It consisted on a model where basic psychological needs satisfaction was associated directly to well-being, and indirectly through the mediation of self-determined motivation. Since in this model the satisfaction of basic psychological needs would predict positively both self-determined motivation and well-being, basic psychological needs is considered to function as a confounding variable. The participants of the study consisted of 673 Spanish secondary education students (334 girls and 339 boys) with a mean age of 14.0 years (SD = 1.4). The model was confirmed partially. Direct associations between basic psychological needs satisfaction and psychological consequences were found and in the expected directionality. On the contrary, indirect associations between basic psychological needs satisfaction and psychological consequences were found, but generally with the opposite expected directionality. The sign of these indirect associations depended on whether components involved on the associations (basic psychological needs satisfaction, self-determined motivation and psychological consequences) were measured at the same or at different levels. Finally, the results found evidence of the confounding role of basic psychological needs between self-determined motivation and psychological consequences. Implications of these results for Basic Psychological Needs Theory, Organismic Integration Theory, and Hierarchical Model of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation are discussed.     

When groups do not cure: Group esteem moderates the social cure effect

Group membership enhances well-being. In two preregistered studies, we tested the assumption that only positively viewed groups yield this “social cure” effect and explored the impact of membership in negatively viewed groups, proposing that the social cure effect is qualified by group esteem (the degree to which ingroups are valued and liked). In Study 1 (N = 396), we manipulated social identity gain (vs. loss) and measured group esteem, and found that gaining (vs. losing) a group membership more strongly increased psychological need satisfaction when group esteem was higher. In Study 2 (N = 494), we manipulated identity gain (vs. loss) and group esteem, and found that gaining (vs. losing) a high-esteem group membership enhanced well-being via increased need satisfaction, whereas gaining (vs. losing) a low-esteem group membership undermined well-being via decreased need satisfaction. Our results contribute to conceptual models of how group membership influences individuals and suggest that membership in low-esteem groups can harm well-being.     

Reframing the ordinary: Imagining time as scarce increases well-being

We explored a counterintuitive approach to increasing happiness: Imagining time as scarce. Participants were randomly assigned to try to live this month (LTM) like it was their last in their current city (time scarcity intervention; n = 69) or to keep track of their daily activities (neutral control; n = 70). Each group reported their activities and their psychological need satisfaction (connectedness, competence, and autonomy) weekly for 4 weeks. At baseline, post-intervention, and 2-week follow-up, participants reported their well-being – a composite of life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions. Participants in the LTM condition increased in well-being over time compared to the control group. Furthermore, mediation analyses indicated that these differences in well-being were explained by greater connectedness, competence, and autonomy. Thus, imagining time as scarce prompted people to seize the moment and extract greater well-being from their lives.     

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.