Abstract
One of the enduring missions of personality science is to unravel what it takes to become a fully functioning person. In the present article, the authors address this matter from the perspectives of self‐determination theory (SDT) and personality systems interactions (PSI) theory. SDT (a) is rooted in humanistic psychology; (b) has emphasized a first‐person perspective on motivation and personality; (c) posits that the person, supported by the social environment, naturally moves toward growth through the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. PSI theory (a) is rooted in German volition psychology; (b) has emphasized a third‐person perspective on motivation and personality; and (c) posits that a fully functioning person can form and enact difficult intentions and integrate new experiences, and that such competencies are facilitated by affect regulation. The authors review empirical support for SDT and PSI theory, their convergences and divergences, and how the theories bear on recent empirical research on internalization, vitality, and achievement flow. The authors conclude that SDT and PSI theory offer complementary insights into developing a person's full potential.
Highlights
self-determination theory (SDT) distinguishes between autonomous and controlled self-regulation. This distinction has not yet been reflected in our discussion of PSI theory so far because we only considered the affective modulation of personality systems interactions
We have highlighted the integrative potential between SDT and PSI theory
We reflect on how this integrative potential may be used to benefit the two theories and personality science at large
Summary
Psychological need satisfaction predicts intrinsic motivation and well-being across life domains and cultures. Monetary rewards are only presumed to undermine intrinsic motivation when people experience them as controlling (Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999). SDT’s third mini-theory is causality orientations theory, which explains how more autonomous versus more externally controlled behavior can develop into enduring personality dispositions (Deci & Ryan, 1985). As long as people’s basic psychological needs are being met, people’s natural tendencies toward growth will emerge, leading to enduring intrinsic engagement, vitality, and wellness. In this autonomous mode of self-regulation, people are prone to internalize external directives such as goals and social norms, to the extent that these directives are compatible with their personal values. The more people acquire an autonomy orientation and the less they acquire controlled or impersonal orientations, the more people should be able to develop their full potential
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