Skip to main content Skip to search
What is Self-Determination Theory? Definition and Examples
Positive Psychology Program
Format: Website
Publication Date: 2018/06/21/
Sources ID: 114211
Visibility: Public (group default)
Abstract: (Show)
Self-Determination Theory, or SDT, is a theory that links personality, human motivation, and optimal functioning. It posits that there are two main types of motivation—intrinsic and extrinsic—and that both are powerful forces in shaping who we are and how we behave (Deci & Ryan, 2008). It is a theory that grew out of researchers Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan’s work on motivation in the 1970s and 1980s. Although it has grown and expanded since then, the basic tenets of the theory come from Deci and Ryan’s seminal 1985 book on the topic.