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Deci and Ryan develop a theory of intrinsic motivation and self-determination that challenges accounts based only on reinforcement or drive reduction. People naturally seek competence and autonomy, but social conditions can support or undermine this tendency.
Events such as rewards, deadlines, surveillance, feedback, and choice affect motivation partly through how they alter perceived control and competence. The book reviews cognitive evaluation theory, organismic perspectives, attribution and information-processing accounts, and research on internalising extrinsic regulation. It then considers applications in education, psychotherapy, work, and sport. The authors distinguish acting with a sense of volition from behaviour experienced as pressured, even when both pursue the same outcome.
For education, the framework supports optimal challenge, informative rather than controlling feedback, meaningful rationales, opportunities for initiative, and relationships that make exploration safe. It also cautions that tangible rewards or competition can weaken intrinsic engagement when learners experience them as controlling rather than competence-supportive.
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