The most important psychological theory you might never have heard of …

The most important psychological theory you might never have heard of …

Popular psychology has been around for several decades now. And although some of that has meant a lowering of standards, and a less rigorous approach to strategies recommended, the plus side is that much of what academic and research psychologists have discovered over the years has been published in ways and in contexts that are easy for the average person to understand (and hopefully to apply).

As such, many of us are aware of what makes us tick, and what we can do to tick better (I just made up that phrase as a metaphor for living more successfully, thriving, enjoying more happiness etcetera).

But there’s one powerful and significant theory that for some reason or other, hasn’t received much attention at all outside of academia. And that theory is known as “self determination theory”. 

Proposed by Deci and Ryan, self determination theory proffers that three basic psychological needs motivate us to do what we need to do in order to create and enjoy psychological health and well-being. These needs are said to be the universal and innate need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. 

In short…

  • autonomy refers to the desire to be the causal agents of one’s own life, and act in harmony with one’s integrated self
  • competence is simply the drive to control outcomes and circumstances, and to experience mastery
  • and relatedness describes the will to interact with, be connected to, and experience caring for others (which is important because sometimes, SDT has been misinterpreted as being just a theory of the individual)

At the risk of stating the obvious, this theory has been the focus of literally thousands of research articles, books and other writings so there’s no way I can fully summarise it here in this short article.

But what I can do is encourage you to think about what you’re doing, in your life, to take control, master your circumstances and connect with others in healthy and constructive ways with a view to living a healthier and happier life? 

If you’d like to read more, including how to improve, and take advantage of each of these components, then just click … HERE