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Introduction. Depression is related to poor achievement and impacts people's capacity to attain their goals (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Johnson et al., 2010; Street, 2002). But do depressive symptoms impact goal pursuit differently depending on the kinds of goals that people pursue? Methods. Across three studies (total N = 666 undergraduate students, total goals = 2,546), we examine the role of up to 16 goal characteristics as moderators in the relationship between depressive symptoms and goal progress. Depressive symptoms and goal characteristics were assessed at baseline, and participants reported on goal progress at a follow-up 1 month (Study 1), 4 months (Study 2), or 8 months (Study 3) later. Results. The effect of depressive symptoms on goal progress was nonsignificant in two out of three studies (including one with low power), but an internal meta-analysis presented a small negative effect. Most goal characteristics did not moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and goal progress, with Bayes factors suggesting substantial to very strong evidence in favor of the null hypotheses. Discussion. The kinds of goals students pursue may not matter in the presence of depressive symptoms. On one hand, this may provide a bleak outlook in highlighting that depressive symptoms impact all goals regardless of how well they are selected. On the other hand, the effects were small, which may offer a hopeful outlook for undergraduate students experiencing depressive symptoms, who may still be able to progress on their personal goals.

INTRODUCTION Self-determination theory proposes that autonomy-supportive environments produce better health outcomes, and evidence demonstrating the importance of autonomy support for health behavior change has become increasingly clear. The bulk of the previous research has focused on the effects of receiving autonomy support, whereas the present study focuses on the potential impact of providing autonomy support for improving the weight loss and relationship satisfaction of the support provider. METHOD Sixty-four couples were randomized to a standard weight loss intervention or to an intervention that included training to enhance autonomy support behavior (e.g., empathic responding, accepting personal choices, etc.). Groups met weekly for 6 months, with assessments at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. The assessment of provided autonomy support was based on ratings of videotaped interactions of the couple discussing weight loss issues and on partner report of the autonomy support they received. RESULTS The results did not show any condition effects; however, the results for both conditions indicated that beyond receiving autonomy support, providing autonomy support was associated with greater sustained weight loss for the support provider, and for men greater relationship satisfaction over time. DISCUSSION The results confirm the importance of couples-based interventions and autonomy support for behavior change. In addition, it appears that providing autonomy support is useful for both the recipient and the provider. These results point to the need for developing targeted interventions to facilitate the provision of autonomy support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The frequency, effectiveness, and impact of personality change goal (PCG) pursuit was explored using a longitudinal goal-setting paradigm within two multi-wave prospective longitudinal studies employing both a university student (study 1; n = 1468) and community adult (study 2; n = 248) sample. Self-determination theory (SDT) was incorporated to explore the extent to which PCGs reflect autonomous processes. Five major findings were revealed in study 1: (1) 20% of participants generated a PCG as one of their three yearly goals; (2) participants reported more progress on their PCGs than on other goals; (3) PCGs were more autonomous relative to other personal goals; (4) Autonomous motivation for goal pursuit was more strongly associated with PCG progress, relative to other goals; and (5) PCG progress resulted in improved psychological well-being over time. Study 2 replicated the motivational findings of study 1 within a community adult sample, and found evidence supporting the validity of the proposed longitidunal goal-setting paradigm. The present studies contribute to current PCG literature by using an alternate goal-assessment method that distinguishes desires to change from meaningful goal intentions and integrated SDT to enhance our understanding of volitional personality change.

Adopting a self-determination theory perspective, this 3-wave longitudinal study explores the role of perfectionism in goal pursuit and the experience of depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the role of goal-related autonomy in mediating the opposite effects of self-critical and personal standards perfectionism on goal progress and depressive symptoms over the course of an academic year. The results suggest a way of understanding the pathway to depressive symptoms and poor goal progress in perfectionists. They point to a number of implications for clinical practice when working with self-critical perfectionists. Specifically, they indicate that interventions aimed at promoting autonomous motivation, may not only bolster goal progress but also act as a protective factor against depressive symptoms. Together, the results indicate that autonomous motivation is central to goal progress and suggest that low goal-related autonomy can be linked to negative outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The purpose of this paper was to experimentally test whether support from different sources would lead to increased intrinsic work motivation and to examine whether occupational context moderated this effect. In Study 1, we manipulated autonomy support, source of behaviour, and occupational context. In Study 2, we allocated participants to a conventional or social work context depending on their real occupation to increase ecological validity. Altogether, 495 workers participated. We found a main effect for autonomy support, and that managers' autonomy support was more effective in a conventional occupational context, whereas co-workers’ autonomy support was more effective in the social occupational context. Findings highlight the importance of having both autonomy-supportive managers and co-workers for workers' intrinsic motivation. (Less)

Parents and teachers play an important role in stimulating student motivation. The aim of this study was to examine if both parent and teacher enthusiasm could predict intrinsic motivation toward S...

Retirement from competitive sports significantly influences former athletes’ well-being. We propose that disengaging from the former athletic career is a crucial factor in retired athletes’ adaptation. Using the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) we propose that sport motivation at the career peak and motivation for retirement are important determinants of athletes’ disengagement progress from a terminated athletic career. We also seek to examine how motivation for retirement and disengagement progress predict retired athletes’ well-being. Using a mixed-retrospective/prospective longitudinal design we followed 158 government-supported elite athletes who had recently retired from an athletic career. In two online surveys administered 1.5 years apart, retired athletes reported on motivation, disengagement, and well-being. Results suggested that SDT motivation factors are important predictors for elite athletes career disengagement and well-being in retirement. The clinical implications of these findings for athletic career transition and support programs are discussed.

Self-determination theory proposes that intrinsic aspirations protect against negative mental health outcomes by satisfying people's basic psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. The present study investigated this relationship using two four-wave prospective longitudinal studies which followed undergraduate students across the Canadian academic calendar (September to May). The first was conducted across 2018-19 and the second across 2019-20. By comparing these two samples, we examined whether baseline levels of intrinsic aspirations moderated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of depressive symptoms. Three main findings emerged, the first being that students reported higher levels of depressive symptoms in Spring 2020 than in Spring 2019. Second, students with more intrinsic aspirations in the pre-pandemic sample (2018-19) experienced fewer depressive symptoms from December to May while students with more intrinsic aspirations in the pandemic sample (2019-20) experienced more depressive symptoms during this period. Lastly, the latter relationship was mediated by need frustration, whereby students with higher levels of intrinsic aspirations experienced greater need frustration during the pandemic year. Together, these findings suggest that although intrinsic aspirations typically protect against negative psychological outcomes, the unique need frustrating context of the pandemic made them a risk factor for depression.

Previous research has shown unique benefits associated with both providing and receiving autonomy-support among same-sex friends (Deci et al. 2006). The present research examined the provision and receipt of two types of goal support from the viewpoints of the two partners in heterosexual couples (n = 247 Hungarian couples). The level of autonomy and directive support that each partner delivered and received in relation to vicarious goals (i.e., goals that partners have for one another) was assessed. Autonomy support from the partner was found to be consistently and positively associated with relationship satisfaction, and this pattern of results was found whether we considered perceived autonomy support from the partner or actual partner report of support given. In addition, providing autonomy support to one’s partner was found to positively relate to relationship satisfaction over and above the effects of receiving support. Overall, directive support was found to be either unrelated or negatively related to relationship satisfaction, suggesting that it can actually backfire and impair satisfaction. Overall, results underscore the relational benefits of supporting vicarious goals in an autonomous rather than directive manner. These findings have implications regarding the pursuit of goals in the context of romantic relationships.

Purpose Perceived support from co-workers and managers is important for many organizational outcomes. However, the benefit of competence support from colleagues and school management on personal teacher efficacy has not been investigated. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the impact of competence support from colleagues and the school management on growth in teacher efficacy and second, to investigate cultural differences (Canada and Sweden). Design/methodology/approach The authors administered an inventory measuring support for competence and personal teacher efficacy to over 400 teachers in Canada and Sweden at 27 schools, at two times. Time 1 took place at the first week of a fall semester and Time 2 at the end of the same semester. Findings Structural equation modeling revealed that competence support from colleagues predicted growth in teacher efficacy, whereas competence support from school management did not. No differences in these relations emerged between Canadian and Swedish teachers. Practical implications The findings have implications for how schools organize teachers in teacher teams so that competence support from co-workers is promoted. Originality/value This study is the first cross-cultural study to empirically show that teachers’ self-efficacy is significantly benefitted by competence support from their teacher peers.

The positive role of autonomous motivation in personal goal pursuit has been robustly established in Self-Determination Theory research. Recent work has linked individual differences in trait selfcontrol to motivation quality, showing that higher self-control is associated with greater autonomous motivation (Converse, Juarez & Hennecke, 2018). The present investigation built on this research to test the association longitudinally in the context of long-term personal goal pursuit. In a prospective longitudinal study with college students, we tested whether trait self-control predicts increased autonomous goal motivation and decreased controlled motivation over time. Participants set three personal goals they planned to pursue for the duration of the academic year and reported on their goal motivation, self-control and Big Five personality traits. Results showed that trait self-control predicted increased autonomous motivation and decreased controlled motivation over the academic year, even after controlling for the Big Five. These findings contribute to the emerging understanding of the role of personality factors in determining motivation.

Using hypothetical scenarios of rule-breaking situations, this study contrasted two behavioral limitation (BLIMIT) strategies that differ in terms of their connection to the transgression-induced problem (logical consequences vs. mild punishments, compared to no BLIMIT). A total of 215 children (M age = 10.42) and their mothers rated the effectiveness and acceptability of these strategies, when preceded by different discipline climates (autonomy-supportive [AS] vs. controlling). Mothers rated logical consequences as the most effective and acceptable strategy in both climates and perceived BLIMIT strategies more positively in AS climates. A significant interaction also revealed that all differences between BLIMIT strategies were accentuated in AS climates. Children believed that logical consequences and mild punishments were equally effective and more effective than no BLIMIT, but they rated logical consequences as more acceptable. Children also perceived BLIMIT strategies more positively in AS climates. However, for children, climates did not moderate the effect of BLIMIT strategies.

Differences between therapists in the average outcomes their patients achieve are well documented, and researchers have begun to try to explain such differences (Baldwin & Imel, 2013). Guided by Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we examined the effects on outcome of differences between therapists in their patients' average levels of autonomous and controlled motivation for treatment, as well as the effects of differences among the patients within each therapist's caseload. Between and within-therapist differences in the SDT construct of perceived relational support were explored as predictors of patients' motivation. Nineteen therapists treated 63 patients in an outpatient clinic providing manualized interpersonal therapy (IPT) for depression. Patients completed the BDI-II at pretreatment, posttreatment, and each treatment session. The Impact Message Inventory was administered at the third session and scored for perceived therapist friendliness, a core element of relational support. We created between-therapists (therapist-level) scores by averaging over the patients in each therapist's caseload; within-therapist (patient-level) scores were computed by centering within each therapist's caseload. As expected, better outcome was predicted by higher levels of therapist-level and patient-level autonomous motivation and by lower levels of therapist-level and patient-level controlled motivation. In turn, autonomous motivation was predicted by therapist-level and patient-level relational support (friendliness). Controlled motivation was predicted solely by patient self-critical perfectionism. The results extend past work by demonstrating that both between-therapists and within-therapist differences in motivation predict outcome. As well, the results suggest that therapists should monitor their interpersonal impact so as to provide relational support. (PsycINFO Database Record

Parental expectations and criticism are associated with Self-Oriented Perfectionism-strivings (SOP-striving) and Self-Oriented Perfectionism-critical (SOP-critical) 1 respectively, when retrospectively examining parenting during childhood, but have never been examined within an actual child sample. Similarly, the differential relations of SOP-striving and SOP-critical to affect and academic achievement have rarely been tested within a child sample, nor has the association of these parenting behaviors with these outcomes been explored. The present study consisted of 203 children, aged 8 to 12. Results replicated previous findings within a child sample, indicating that parental expectations are associated with SOP-striving (b = 0.29, p

Self-criticism has been shown to be a vulnerability factor that can lead to and maintain depression. We examined the moderating effect of fear of receiving compassion from others on the positive association between self-criticism and depression. Self-report measures were administered to four separate samples (total N = 701) varying in age (students and community adults) and cultural context (Canada, England, and Portugal). Two different measures of self-criticism and of depression were administered to investigate the generalizability of results. Self-criticism, depression, and fear of compassion from others were positively related to one another in all samples. As predicted, fear of compassion from others exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between self-criticism and depression. Low fear of compassion from others weakened the depressogenic effect of self-criticism, while high fear of compassion from others exacerbated the effect. Thus, a self-critic's ability to be open and responsive to care and support from others protected against depression. The aggregate moderating effect across the four studies was of medium size (d + = .53) and highly significant, indicating a robust phenomenon. Implications for working with self-critical depressed patients are discussed.

Self-determination theory distinguishes between intrinsic and extrinsic values and research has demonstrated that prioritizing intrinsic relative to extrinsic values is related to greater well-being. Intrinsic values have typically been amalgamated yet based on theories of development (Arnett, 2000; Erikson, 1980), we prospectively examined the relationship between specific intrinsic values and vitality among people at different life stages. We hypothesized that valuing self-growth, reflecting the self-exploration involved in developing an identity, would be particularly important for the vitality of college students ( N = 99). Valuing community contribution, consistent with the generativity stage of later adulthood, was expected to be more important for the vitality of schoolteachers ( N = 90). Supporting our hypotheses, regression analyses showed that self-growth was relatively more likely than community contribution to be associated with increased vitality among university students, whereas community contribution was relatively more likely than self-growth to be associated with increased vitality among teachers. The analyses controlled for participants' mean ratings of intrinsic and extrinsic values. Change in self-growth values over one year, moreover, predicted students' vitality at the end of the year. The potential for integrating theories of development with self-determination theory's conceptualization of values is discussed.

While previous research has demonstrated that striving for personal goals connected to intrinsic aspirations benefits psychological well-being, the relation between aspirational content and goal progress has remained unexamined. Using a multilevel modeling (MLM) approach in two longitudinal studies, we examined the relationship between life aspirations at the level of the person and the level of the goal, differentiating the ability of aspirations at both levels to predict later goal progress. We found that students made significantly more progress on (and were more likely to attain) their goals that were more intrinsic in aspirational content. These effects were goal-specific rather than person-driven. Study 2 replicated the findings of study 1 and also revealed an interaction between intrinsic aspirational content and progress in predicting goal-related affect. Specifically, we found that making progress on a goal that was more intrinsic in content led to greater feelings of vitality for that goal, while making progress on a less intrinsic goal did not. These findings highlight the benefits of setting goals connected to intrinsic aspirations (even for generally extrinsically-oriented individuals) and the value of shifting towards MLM approaches for research on goal pursuit.

Two studies examined the relations among Neuroticism, autonomy support, and reported goal progress. A large-scale screening demonstrated that individuals discriminated between autonomy support and more directive support and expressed a preference for autonomy support that was associated with Neuroticism. A second study examined the relationship of Neuroticism and autonomy support to self-reported goal progress over an academic year. The results showed that autonomy support was positively associated with goal progress, Neuroticism was negatively associated with goal progress, and that the effect of Neuroticism on goal progress was mediated by lower perceived autonomy support. The study also showed that Neuroticism was associated with increased depression over the course of a year, and this effect was mediated by diminished goal progress. The results suggest that the under-experiencing of autonomy support among those higher on Neuroticism may impede goal progress and well-being more generally.

Previous research has demonstrated that people set and pursue more self-concordant goals in domains where they experience the satisfaction of psychological needs ( Milyavskaya, Nadolny, & Koestner, 2014 ). However, the mechanism for this has not been investigated. The present study proposes that authenticity experienced in a domain mediates the relationship between domain need satisfaction and goal self-concordance. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, we investigate two components of authenticity and find that only authentic behaviour, but not authentic awareness, relates to goal self-concordance and acts as a mediator. We also test an alternative model, ruling out the possibility that need satisfaction is influenced by authenticity.

The current study used a prospective design and the assessment of personal goals to examine the relation of self-critical and personal standards perfectionism to affective variation across days of the week. University students completed baseline measures of perfectionism and subsequently reported their nightly affect for seven consecutive days. Participants also listed four important personal goals for the academic year and rated their autonomous and controlled motivation for these goals. The expected pattern of affect variation across the week was obtained—highest positive affect on Saturday followed by a drop on Monday which continued through Thursday. The two forms of perfectionism were significantly related to daily affect on Monday, but in opposite ways, and these opposing patterns were mediated by differences in motivation for academic goals. Self-critical perfectionists felt highly controlled about their academic goals and responded negatively to the resumption of school on Monday. Personal standard perfectionists felt highly autonomous about their academic goals and responded positively to the return to school on Monday. The two forms of perfectionism were unrelated to affect experienced on Saturdays. The study suggests that personality and motivational factors can be used to understand affect variation from the weekend to the start of the week.

This study attempts to test a model in which the relation between implicit theories of intelligence and students’ school persistence intentions are mediated by intrinsic, identified, introjected, and external regulations. Six hundred and fifty students from a high school were surveyed. Contrary to expectations, results from ESEM analyses indicated that the four types of regulations do not mediate the relation between implicit theories of intelligence and students’ intentions to persist in school. Rather, results show two direct effects, where an incremental theory of intelligence is associated with greater school persistence intentions, as well as being motivated in an intrinsic manner. In addition, results reveal that academic achievement is related to persistence intentions. No gender differences were observed. This research highlights the importance of promoting students’ incremental intelligence beliefs and intrinsic motivation in order to foster school persistence intentions. Theoretical and practical implications for parents and teachers are discussed.

Although many studies have examined the relation of academic motivation to school achievement using the Self-Determination Theory perspective, the results have been inconsistent. The present investigation represents the first systematic attempt to use a meta-analysis and controlled, longitudinal studies to examine the relations of specific types of motivation to overall academic achievement. The meta-analysis (Study 1) pointed toward a potentially important role of intrinsic motivation in predicting school achievement. Three empirical studies of high school and college students in Canada (Studies 2 and 3) and in Sweden (Study 4) showed that intrinsic motivation was the only motivation type to be consistently positively associated with academic achievement over a one-year period, controlling for baseline achievement. Amotivation was significantly associated with lower academic achievement in Studies 3 and 4. Interestingly, intrinsic motivation was also associated with reduced amotivation in two of our studies and it was reciprocally associated with higher school achievement in another study. Overall, our findings highlight the unique importance of intrinsic motivation for the future academic success of high school and college students.

Autonomy and controlling support are generally viewed as being on the two extreme ends of a continuum and have been found to be negatively correlated with one another. Recent research and anecdotal evidence hint that controlling guidance (such as exemplified by “tiger parenting”) may not always be perceived and received negatively. We proposed that power distance moderates the endorsement of controlling strategies. We expected and found that in two studies, participants from Malaysia, a high power distance culture, perceived controlling strategies more positively than North Americans, and their endorsement of autonomy support was positively correlated with their endorsement of controlling support. There was no difference between North Americans and Malaysians in their endorsement of autonomy supportive strategies. The latter result supports self-determination theory’s contention that autonomy is universally important. The results suggest that for individuals who value power distance, autonomy and controlling practices are not necessarily seen as opposed, rather just alternate methods of providing support or guidance. In addition, we tested this hypothesis using power distance on an individual level in both cultures and again found the power distance influenced the endorsement of controlling strategies. This study highlights cross cultural and individual differences in acceptance and perceived benefits of controlling support.

The current study used a prospective design to examine the relation of self-critical and personal standards perfectionism with university students' affect over a full calendar year. Specifically, we investigated the relation between the two forms of perfectionism and students' positive and negative affect within both the semester achievement demand and the holiday respite contexts. Two hundred and forty university students completed baseline measures of perfectionism and reported their affect at six follow-ups over two semesters and the winter and summer holidays. Stress experienced during the winter holiday was also assessed. Students' affect generally followed a cyclical pattern, declining over the fall and winter semesters but rebounding during the holidays. Results showed that while self-critical perfectionism was consistently related to worsened affect, this was not the case for personal standards perfectionism, which was specifically related to increased positive affect during the holidays. Perceive...

Objective:Social support is believed to contribute to weight loss success, yet the type of support received is rarely assessed. To develop more effective weight loss interventions, examinations of the types of support that are associated with positive outcomes are needed. Self-Determination Theory suggests that support for an individual’s autonomy is beneficial and facilitates internalization of autonomous selfregulation. We examined whether autonomy support and directive forms of support were associated with weight loss outcomes in a larger randomized controlled trial.Method:Adults (N!201; 48.9"10.5 years; 78.1% women) participating in a weight loss trial were assessed at 0, 6, and 18 months. Autonomy support (AS), directive support, and autonomous self-regulation (ASR) were measured at 0 and 6 months and examined in relation to 18-month weight loss outcomes.Results:Baseline AS and ASR did not predict outcomes; however, AS and ASR at 6 months positively predicted 18-month weight losses (ps#.05), encouragement of healthy eating at 6 months was negatively related to 18-month weight losses (p#.01), and other forms of directive support were not associated with outcomes. Conclusions:Autonomy support predicted better weight loss outcomes while some forms of directive support hindered progress. Weight loss trials are needed to determine whether family members and friends can be trained to provide autonomy support and whether this is more effective than programs targeting more general or directive forms of support.

Research has shown that autonomy support has positive effects on academic development, but no study has examined how systemising cognitive orientation is related to important outcomes for science students, and how it may interact with autonomy support. This prospective investigation considered how systemising and support from teachers and parents influence motivation, self-efficacy and science performance of science students. Totally, two hundred and eighty eight high school students (143 females and 145 males) completed surveys at two times and records of their achievements were collected. Teachers autonomy support and systemising were significantly positively related to motivation, self-efficacy and achievement over time, while parental support for autonomy was not directly related to the outcomes. Finally, two significant interaction effects showed that the relation of parental autonomy support to motivation and self-efficacy was moderated by systemising. This is the first study to demonstrate that autonomy support may be especially helpful for individuals with an intrinsic disposition in a domain.

The present research examines the interrelation between psychological need satisfaction at the general, domain-specific, and episodic levels of experience, and the extent to which need satisfaction at each level predicts general well-being independently of the other levels. Results show evidence for both top-down and bottom-up effects of need satisfaction across three levels of experience and provide support for a heterarchical model of need satisfaction. Psychological need satisfaction at three distinct levels of experience independently contributes to general well-being both measured concurrently and prospectively. Overall, the present research provides a theoretical and empirical model of the organization of need satisfaction across multiple levels of experience. This supports the importance of assessing need satisfaction at multiple levels of experience.

We argue that episodic memories have an active and directive function with respect to a number of relational outcomes. In line with self-determination theory, it is expected that the satisfaction of 3 needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in couple-related memories facilitates the quality of romantic relationships and their development. Results of 4 studies support this contention. Study 1 showed that need satisfaction in couple-related memories was associated with relationship quality, even after controlling for other important relational constructs. Study 2 underscored the context-dependent aspect of the directive function of episodic memories. Need satisfaction in couple-related memories was found to be associated with partner relationship quality but not with friendship quality, whereas need satisfaction in friend-related memories was associated with friendship quality but not with partner relationship quality. Study 3 showed that couple-related memories contributed independently to each partner's perceptions of relationship quality, that is, both the rememberer and the partner. Study 4 showed the long-term directive function of episodic memories. Need satisfaction in couple-related memories positively and negatively predicted increases in relationship quality and the likelihood of a breakup over a 1-year period, respectively. This directive function of memories was examined along with the self function of memories (self-enhancement, self-protection) and shown to be complementary. We also examined the stability of need satisfaction in couple-related memories over time and investigated this stability as a function of whether the partners had broken up or not over the year. Overall, the findings suggest that episodic memories play an important role in romantic relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)

Zuroff et al. (2007) showed that autonomous motivation, defined as the extent to which patients experience participation in treatment as a personally meaningful choice, predicted outcome in a study of 95 depressed outpatients who were randomly assigned to one of three 16-week manualized treatments. Further analyses were undertaken to test hypotheses derived from Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2008a, 2008b). Autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, perceived therapist autonomy support, and depressive severity were assessed at Sessions 3, 8, 13, and posttreatment. Autonomous and controlled motivation displayed both trait and contextual influences and were only moderately correlated with one another. Multilevel modeling was used to separate the predictive influences of within-person and between-person differences. Better treatment response (i.e., lower depressive severity) was predicted positively by between-person and within-person differences in autonomous motivation and inversely by bet...

Research on self-determination theory has established that the amount of autonomy support and control in a given situation can enhance or thwart intrinsic motivation. Meanwhile, research in social cognition has shown that people form relational schemas and that having schemas characterised by insecurity can compromise normative functioning. The present study examined how such insecurity, operationalized as attachment anxiety and avoidance, moderates the effects of priming an autonomy-supportive or controlling other on intrinsic motivation and persistence. Ninety participants were primed with either an autonomy-supportive or controlling authority figure and engaged in a novel picture-search task. Although individuals low in anxiety and avoidance responded to the primes as expected (decreasing intrinsic motivation and persisting less in the controlling-prime condition), participants high in anxiety and avoidance did not show the expected changes in intrinsic motivation in response to the primes, and participants high in anxiety responded to the controlling prime with increased persistence.

This study tested Belsky's determinants of parenting, namely maternal characteristics, child characteristics, and contextual issues, namely the mother's perception of the husband as a father, husband, and person. Three hundred and seventy-nine mothers first investigated by Sears, Maccoby, and Levin completed a standardised interview to assess their parenting attitudes and behaviours, as well as their five-year-old child's (202 boys, 177 girls) behaviours. Rejecting mothers had lower maternal self-esteem and higher academic expectations of their children, who showed less conscience and less similarity to the mother, and perceived their husbands as being colder towards the child. Furthermore, mothers with low self-esteem were more rejecting of girls with a difficult temperament, but less rejecting of boys with a difficult temperament. Controlling mothers were more educated and had higher academic expectations for their children, while their children were less likely to dominate their relationship, but only ...

A four-week experimental study (N = 113) examined the effects of reflecting on intrinsic values. In the experimental group, participants learned about the distinction between intrinsic (e.g. having close relationships) and extrinsic (e.g. being popular) values, wrote about two personal intrinsic values, and then reflected on these values weekly for four weeks. In the control group, participants completed parallel exercises related to the daily details of their lives. Results revealed that participants in the intrinsic values group experienced greater well-being immediately following the written reflection than participants in the control group. Four weeks later, the more engaged participants felt in the reflection exercises, the more they prioritized intrinsic over extrinsic values and the greater their well-being. These effects occurred only for participants in the intrinsic values condition. The implications for changing value priorities and improving well-being are discussed.

The current study utilized a prospective design to examine the associations of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism with goal progress. The results corroborated previous findings demonstrating a negative association between self-criticism and self-reported goal progress when self-oriented perfectionism was controlled, and a positive association between self-oriented perfectionism and goal progress when self-criticism was controlled. This study extended previous research by exploring the potential mediation of these effects through goal-related self-efficacy, implementation intentions, and goal-related flow. The results showed that the effects of self-criticism on goal progress were indeed mediated by self-efficacy, implementation planning and goal-related flow, while the effects of self-oriented perfectionism were mediated by implementation planning and flow, but not self-efficacy.

The present investigation examined the effects of trait and goal inspiration on goal progress. Undergraduate students reported three goals they intended to pursue throughout the semester and completed measures of trait and goal inspiration as well as measures of personality traits. Participants then reported on goal progress three times at monthly intervals throughout the semester. Result showed that trait inspiration predicted goal progress, and that this effect was fully mediated by goal inspiration and held after controlling for the Big Five personality traits. Additional within-person analyses of goal inspiration showed that most of the variance in goal inspiration was due to between-person individual differences. Furthermore, analyses of the direction of causality between goal inspiration and goal progress revealed a bi-directional relationship. Discussion focused on the implications and future directions for research on inspiration.

The purpose of the present research was to show that satisfaction of the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness constitutes a basic component characterizing autobiographical memories. In Study 1, a coding scheme and a self-rating method for measuring need satisfaction in memories were developed and shown to be highly related to each other. Across 3 studies using graduate and undergraduate students (Study 1: N=244; Study 2: N=309; Study 3: N=159), need satisfaction was found to be moderately associated with well-being measures, over and above several other memory components usually assessed in research on autobiographical memories. In addition, this association between need satisfaction in autobiographical memories and well-being held, even after controlling for person-level measures, such as personality traits, self-determined orientation, or experience of need satisfaction in general in one's life, thus suggesting that autobiographical memory and semantic self-knowledge are distinct databases.

Five separate studies examined the associations of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism with goal pursuit across a variety of domains. Although self-criticism has previously been shown to be related to diminished goal progress, a controversy remains regarding the potential association between aspects of “positive perfectionism,” such as self-oriented perfectionism, and enhanced goal progress. The results of the five studies demonstrated a consistent pattern of negative association between self-criticism and goal progress. The results also showed a positive association between self-oriented perfectionism and goal progress when self-criticism was controlled. The important role of self-criticism for understanding the impact of perfectionistic concerns is highlighted by these results. Implications for the debate concerning the possible positive effects of perfectionistic strivings are also discussed.

The present investigation examined the associations between psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and subjective well-being simultaneously across multiple domains. Two hundred and three adults completed questionnaires about important life domains in which they were involved, resulting in ratings of over 800 domains. Results show that need satisfaction is strongly related to both autonomous motivation and well-being in multiple domains. Additionally, we demonstrate that motivation acts as a partial mediator of the path between need satisfaction and well-being. By using an idiographic approach, this study looks at the differences and similarities between the many important life domains in which individuals are involved. The current paper also supports the universality of SDT processes by assessing need satisfaction, motivation and well-being simultaneously in multiple life domains.

A longitudinal study examined the relation of academic self-regulation to female college students’ adaptation to graduation (n = 104 females). Self-regulation concerns the integration of social values and guidelines into personal values. Results showed that self-regulation in the academic domain was significantly related to lower levels of depressive symptoms over a year and that this relation was equally strong regardless of whether students continued in college or had graduated. Other personal factors, such as college performance, career exploration, and dispositional optimism were unrelated to adaptation. The findings support self-determination theory in showing that it is critical that students internalize the value of school participation as personally important and consistent with their goals.

Objectives. We examined the moderating role of depression recurrence on the relatio nb etween autonomous and controlled motivation and interpersonal therap y (IPT) treatment outcome. Design. The investigation was conducted in an out-patient mood disorders clinic of a large university-affiliated psychiatric hospital. The sample represents as ubset of al arger naturalistic database of patients seen in the clinic. Methods. We examined 74 depressed out-patients who received 16 sessions of IPT. The Beck Depression Inventory-II, administered at pre-treatment and post-treatment, serve da sam easure of depressiv es everity .M easure so fm otivation and therapeutic alliance were collected at the third session. Results. In the entire sample ,b oth the therapeutic alliance and autonomous motivation predicted higher probability of achieving remission; however ,t he relation differed for those with highly recurrent depression compared to those with less recurrent depression. For those with highly recurrent depression, the therapeutic alliance predicted remission whereas autonomous motivation had no effect on remission. Fo rt hose with less recurrent depression, both autonomous motivation and the therapeutic alliance predicted better achievin gr emission. Controlled motivation emerged as as ignificant negative predicto ro fr emission across both groups. Conclusion. Ta ke nt ogether ,t hese results highlight the possible use of motivation theor yt oi nform and enrich therapeutic conceptualizations and interventions in clinical practice ,b ut also point to the importance of modifying interventions based on the chronicity of ac lient’ sd epression.

Impression formation research has traditionally focused on either the characteristics of the target or of the participant, failing to examine their interplay. In the present study, we explored the role of interdependent self-construal on ratings of others who are portrayed as alone or connected. We hypothesized that participants with an interdependent view of the self would prefer others who are portrayed as socially connected, while the opposite would be true for participants low on interdependence. Results showed that college students high on interdependence rated a university professor photographed with another person relatively more positively than a professor photographed alone. This pattern was reversed for participants low on interdependence.

From a self-determination perspective, we attempted to replicate previous findings suggesting thathigher autonomous environmental motivation (i.e., acting out of choice and pleasure) is associatedwith the frequency of environmental behaviours such as recycling, paper reuse, and energyconservation. We also compared students’ level of autonomous environmental motivation with theirlevel of autonomous academic motivation. We then examined age effects on autonomous environ-mental motivation and compared them to age effects on autonomous academic motivation. A totalof 200 high school students grouped into 5 age cohorts filled out a questionnaire. Results showedthat (1) adolescents’ autonomous environmental motivation was associated with more frequentenvironmental behaviours, (2) autonomous motivation was higher in the environmental than theschool domain, and (3) autonomous environmental motivation was higher in older than youngerstudents, whereas autonomous motivation toward school was equivalent across age groups.Keywords: motivation, environment, school, development

The present study examined the way in which children attending Orthodox Jewish schools internalize the value of both their Jewish studies and secular studies, as well as the value of Jewish cultural practices. A distinction was made between identified internalization, where children perceive Jewish studies and Jewish culture to be an important part of their sense of self, and introjected internalization, where children participate in Jewish studies and Jewish culture because they feel like they “ought to” or because of external pressures. Primary identified reasons for their Jewish studies and Jewish cultural practices were significantly associated with positive self and teacher ratings of adjustment; internalization of secular studies was unrelated to adjustment. The study also found that parental support of autonomy, which involves allowing children some latitude in making decisions for themselves regarding religious issues, was associated with greater identification. Together, these results highlight t...

The current research examined the relations among self-criticism, self-concordant motivation and goal progress of athletes and musicians. The results of a short-term prospective study showed that self-criticism was negatively associated with self-concordant goal motivation and with goal progress. The effect of self-criticism on goal progress appeared to be mediated by self-concordant motivation. Results also showed that self-criticism moderated the relation of goal progress to negative affect, such that the negative affect of self-critics was contingent on their level of perceived goal progress. These findings suggest that self-criticism not only represents a risk factor in the pursuit of personal goals, but also for negative affect subsequent to setbacks in goal pursuit.