۱- Organismic integration theory and motivation for goals

۲- Self-control as a determinant of motivation quality

۳- Association of Big Five personality traits with motivation quality

۴- Current research

۵- Methods

۶- Results

۷- General discussion

References

Abstract

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.

Organismic integration theory and motivation for goals

An important aspect of motivation concerns people’s perceived reasons for goal pursuit. The Organismic Integration Theory (OIT) of goal striving developed as mini theory of SDT (Ryan & Deci, 2017), focuses on the quality of motivation that underlies personal goals. OIT proposes that motivation lies on a continuum of internalization from intrinsic motivation to external regulation, with researchers distinguishing between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Autonomous motivation describes fully or partially internalized reasons for goal pursuit, such as choosing a goal for interest and enjoyment (intrinsic motivation), because the goal encompasses one’s values and reflects one’s identity (integrated motivation), or because one believes the goal to be meaningful and important (identified motivation). Conversely, controlled motivation subsumes the two least internalized forms of motivation on the continuum: pursuing goals out of internal feelings of guilt and pressure (introjected motivation) or in response to external contingencies, such as the expectation of reward or punishment (external motivation). These distinct forms of regulation tend to co-occur to different degrees in most complex behaviors, but have been associated with vastly different outcomes (Ryan & Deci, 2017).