This was the final week of looking at the concept of ‘needs’ in the context of motivation. This week’s chapters were six and seven and focused on the Self Determination Theory. Chapter six focused on psychological needs. The three psychological needs which were focused on in the chapter are also known as organismic psychological needs. James touched on the Self Determination Theory, a general framework used for thinking about these psychological needs. This theory has two assumptions.
- That people are inherently active and
- Person-Environment dialectic
Unlike earlier theories that emphasised a static relationship between the person and the environment (the environment creates the stimulation) this theory suggests that the person shapes the environment in an interactive and dynamic relationship. People do not just sit around and do nothing, rather, individuals are always involved and engaged in a goal directed activity, despite the fact that this goal may not always be obvious.
The second assumption, the Person-environment dialectic, suggests that the relationship between the person and the environment is reciprocal (Reeve, 2009). It describes the individual as seeking out an environment which expresses their individuality, they have a desire to interact within it and the environment can assist in an individual’s development. On the other hand, the environment can also upset the inner resources, creating an un-nurturing and less productive environment for the individual. The diagram below shows this in more detail.
(Reeve, 2009)
Deci and Ryan’s Self Determination Theory suggests that there are three fundamental psychological needs, autonomy, competence and relatedness. If each of these needs are satisfied then an individual is gaining the nutrients needed for psychological growth. However, it should be noted that being satisfied in only one of these needs will not result in psychological health. Autonomy focuses on one having control over their choices and how the environment operates and rewards you. A behaviour is autonomous when it is a person’s interests and wants that guide their decision to engage in a particular behaviour. Competence focuses on being and feeling capable in a particular environment and Relatedness refers to the needs and wants to be engaged in reciprocal, respectful and warm relationships (Reeve, 2009)
Chapter seven and the second half of the lecture focused on Social needs.
‘An acquired psychological process that grows out of one’s socialisation history that activates emotional responses to a particular need relevant incentive.’ (Neill, 2010).
Reeve (2009) focused on McClelland’s four social needs which were the main focus of social needs within the lecture as well. These are stated below.
(Reeve,2009)
I would have to say that the content covered in the lecture relating to each of the three needs in the Self Determination Theory as well as the content covered on social needs was extremely interesting. I think I especially enjoyed it as I am not only completing a bachelor in Psychology but a bachelor in Management as well and it was nice to see a cross over between the two subjects. This was due to the fact that these needs and theories related to many workplace scenarios and ideas that I have touched on in my Management units. I really enjoyed the practical side of how the content can be related to the workplace in terms of managing individuals. On another note, I can use what I have learnt as a further example the next time someone asks me ‘Psychology and Management? How do they relate?’ Rather than just stating the obvious!
Before the next tutorial session, I will need to have completed or be in the process of drafting a plan for my text book chapter on Motivation and Positive Thinking. Currently I am finding it hard to accomplish what I think needs to be completed each week in order to finish the chapter. Despite this, I am confident that once I start putting more time and effort into completing the task, the reservations I am experiencing about starting the chapter will hopefully disappear. James has provided us with the link to a text book chapter that someone has written on Hunger. Personally, I find having a finished product to compare my own work to very helpful in knowing what standard I need to meet. This example in particular will guide me as to how my text book chapter should be set out, the tone it should be written in and how much effort will need to go in to complete it. I am sure it will help in constructing my draft as well.
References
Neill, J. (2010, September 8). [Psychological & Social Needs]. Lecture presented at the University of Canberra
Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion. United States of America
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