subject: What It Means To Be Self Determined [print this page] There is a theory in psychology known as the self-determination theory. Well, basically it points out that a person is best living his or her life if he or she is self-determined. So what does it mean to be self-determined? It means that a person is motivated from within. The passion must come from the person, not from external rewards, blackmail or the like.
Motivation is part of our struggles in life. We struggle to motivate ourselves and others. External forces pressure us to comply with requirements, necessities and obligations. However, there are also much inside us that move us to do certain things-like art, science and religion and these coming from within-our emotions, our thoughts, curiosity and passion.
To be self-determined, three things (well, according to the theory) are needed. First, we have autonomy. Autonomy is not just independence. It refers to actions that are initiated primarily by the self. You-yourself are the main initiator of your actions. A person's sense of autonomy can be undermined if other people would decide "for" you or when other people make you feel that you can never decide for yourself.
The second necessity is competence. Well, we all need to feel competent at something, and even to be competent at something. It can be a talent or a skill, whether acquired from school or at home, or anywhere else. The sense of competence is vital, because without it, we would lose interest in practically everything. Since if we honestly feel we are good at nothing, then why should we bother to try at something? This sense of competence can be undermined, when people bully us or make us feel worthless.
The third necessity is relatedness. As it has been said over and over again that no one gets there alone-that everyone needs at least one person; well, this is true. We need our relationships. These can guide us to success and failure. To be determined by the self, we need to know how we stand in relation to others, and we need others to have and to know that.
These three things can make us self-determined. Our motivations come from within us when we decide to be self-determined. To be self-determined is to have a great sense of volition and initiative. How our psychological needs are helped or thwarted affect a great deal our sense of self-determination. Let us endeavor to know more of the techniques on how to help ourselves and others with this in mind.
