SELF DETERMINATION

THEORY
SELF EFFICACY THEORY
What is self-determination?
 Each person’s ability to make choices and manage
their own life.
 Plays imp role in psychological health and well-
being
 Applied to education, work, parenting, exercise and
health
 SDT grew out of work of psychologists Edward
Deci and Richard Ryan in 1985.
3 innate needs under SDT
 Competence: mastery of tasks and learn diff skills

 Connection: sense of belongingness and attachment

 Autonomy: control of their own behaviors and

goals

 Primarily connected to intrinsic motivation

Two key assumptions of SDT

 The need for growth drives behaviour

 Autonomous motivation is important (knowledge

and independence)
How it works?
 External motivators can sometimes lower self-
determination: Acc to Deci, rewarding extrinsically
for already intrinsically motivated behaviour can
undermine autonomy.

 Positive feedback and boost self-determination:

offering unexpected positive encouragement can
increase intrinsic motivation. Makes people feel
competent – one of the key needs for personal
growth.
At workplace
 Managers and leaders can foster this sense of self-
determination by allowing team members to take an
active role.
 Offer employees responsibilities, provide meaningful
feedback, and offer support and encouragement.
 Employers should be careful not to overuse extrinsic
rewards. Too many rewards can undercut intrinsic
motivation (a phenomenon known as the over-
justification effect), yet too few can cause employees
to feel unappreciated.
In Competition
 Athletes who feel that they are capable of
achieving their goals and overcoming challenges
are often driven to perform better.
 Excelling allows people to gain an important sense
of competence and build mastery in skills that are
enjoyable and important to them.
How to improve Self-
determination
 Believe that they have control over their own lives. They have an
internal locus of control and feel that their behaviors will have an
influence on outcomes. When confronted with challenges, they feel that
they can overcome them through diligence, good choices, and hard work.
 Have high self-motivation. They do not rely on external rewards or
punishments to motivate them to take action. They engage in behaviors
because they are good at setting goals and working toward those aims.
 Base their actions on their own goals and behaviors. In other words,
they intentionally engage in actions that they know will bring them closer
toward their goals.
 Take responsibility for their behaviors. Highly self-determined people
take credit for their success, but they also accept the blame for their
failures.
Self-Efficacy Theory
 Self-efficacy : belief that you can perform a task;
you are capable of achieving a particular goal.

 Self efficacy is task specific. Its not about being

good at your job in a general sense.
 Given by a Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura,
1997.
Determinants of Self-Efficacy
 Experience - Past experience of performing similar
tasks; most imp factor.
 Vicarious experience – watching other people
perform and succeed at a task.
 Social Persuasion – if others encourage you
 Physiological feedback – interpretation of your
body signals; how much ease you are at?
Using SEfT by a manager
 Master task – set realistic but challenging goals
based on where you are right now
 Model behaviour – find role-models in the area/
skill
 Social persuasion – finding mentors and coaches
 Improve your emotional state – understanding and
right interpretation of your emotions