Edward Deci’s Findings on Need Fulfillment and Motivation
As a therapist in Hermosa Beach, clients often come see me to address a variety of issues around motivation, or in many cases, a lack thereof. Motivation is a critical factor in how we deal with everyday life and it gives us the energy that we need to accomplish what we want to. However, not everyone has this motivation. While we may wonder why we’re not as motivated as others, there’s actually a good reason for this. Edward Deci’s findings on the topic of motivation revealed that there are three important requirements in order for a person to be fully motivated.
The Three Essential Needs for Motivation
To summarize Deci’s findings, he believed that the need for developing a sense of self that’s completely in harmony is a vital part of who we are as humans. The desire for doing this is intrinsically motivated and based on three important needs:
- The need for autonomy
- The need to feel competent
- The need for relating to others
When all three of these needs are met, we will be fully motivated. When we’re not able to satisfy these needs, we’ll feel unmotivated.
Autonomy Support
The key need listed above is autonomy, which is essentially a psychological feeling of freedom or independence. Deci says that without the belief that we’re free in our actions, we’ll lose our motivation and just feel like robots. However, at the same time, we can’t have chaos. There still needs to be some kind of rules for us. This is why autonomy support is recommended. Autonomy support is an interpersonal sentiment that’s meant to nurture and develop a person’s motivations. When a person makes a mistake (which we all do), the response won’t be heavy-handedness or a permissive indifference – it will be to help nurture the self in an understanding and empathetic way.
Contact Your Counselor in Hermosa Beach!
If you’re looking for therapy in the South Bay, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’ll be glad to help you, no matter what kind of counseling you’re in need of. You can call me at (310) 892-2572 or contact me online so that I can help you achieve a higher level of motivation.