Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation
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- Create Date：2021-10-18 09:57:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Edward L. Deci
- ISBN：0140255265
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Summary
If you reward your children for doing their homework， they will usually respond by getting it done。 But is this the most effective method of motivation？ No， says psychologist Edward L。 Deci， who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance。 The best way to motivate people—at school， at work， or at home—is to support their sense of autonomy。 Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate interest and commitment， and is a much more effective approach than the standard system of reward and punishment。 We are all inherently interested in the world， argues Deci， so why not nurture that interest in each other？ Instead of asking， "How can I motivate people？" we should be asking， "How can I create the conditions within which people will motivate themselves？""An insightful and provocative meditation on how people can become more genuinely engaged and succesful in pursuing their goals。" —Publisher's Weekly
Reviews
Daniela D
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I thought this book was brilliant （better than Drive by Dan Pink imh）。 It swiftly combined motivation and why we do what we do with how we are making those choices and how that affects our wellbeing。 Intrinsic motivation is determined by our volition to make our own choices in a non-controlling way while relating to others and pursuing internal rather than external goals。 This determines our freedom。 Highly recommend reading this book along with flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi。
Diane Zhu
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The book encourages us to be the autonomous self who lives with authenticity and to help others by creating an environment where people have the autonomy to make meaningful decisions。 Both obedience and rebellion suggest we are being controlled against our will。 Being authentic also means being self-responsible。
Thomas Fackler
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I don't think it did a very good job of relating to its title， but there was an interesting discussion of freedom， responsibility， and authenticity throughout， which made for good reflective material。 I don't think it did a very good job of relating to its title， but there was an interesting discussion of freedom， responsibility， and authenticity throughout， which made for good reflective material。 。。。more
Christopher Mitchell
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A useful framework for considering interactions with others as well as internal motivation。 Definite lessons for management and parenting but perhaps most importantly， trying to figure out why we do things the way we do （like the title says）。
Megha Nayyar
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Very interesting book。 Intrinsic vs Extrinsic motivation was one of my favorite concepts。 Every activity is either done to prove something to other people （extrinsic） or because you genuinely want to do it （intrinsic）。
Erich Hutton
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The book hits you early on with the premise: We do not motivate people。 We create environments in which people motivate themselves。 All of this is based on the person's feeling of competency and autonomy。 The rest of the book offers various anecdotes and examines various themes that spring from the central idea。 The book hits you early on with the premise: We do not motivate people。 We create environments in which people motivate themselves。 All of this is based on the person's feeling of competency and autonomy。 The rest of the book offers various anecdotes and examines various themes that spring from the central idea。 。。。more
Miika Vuorio
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It was alright， gave some insights， but I feel like it could've been a far shorter book and been just as informative and enlightening。 Essentially the big idea is that in most if not all cases it is better for people to be internally motivated to do something rather than externally motivated and to achieve this， one should be autonomy supportive to oneself and to others。 If you want more of that， read this book :） It was alright， gave some insights， but I feel like it could've been a far shorter book and been just as informative and enlightening。 Essentially the big idea is that in most if not all cases it is better for people to be internally motivated to do something rather than externally motivated and to achieve this， one should be autonomy supportive to oneself and to others。 If you want more of that， read this book :） 。。。more
Eduardo Felix diaz
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Is an insightful take， some good tips， but I feel it lacks depth and doesn’t deliver on the promise of explaining “why we do what we do”
Patrik Gustafsson
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I got the tip after Asking for more to read about RAMP （https://twitter。com/allenholub/status。。。）Relatedness， Autonomy， Mastery， Purpose。 AMP as presented by Pink in Drive （https://www。goodreads。com/book/show/6。。。） hade before been I guiding star for my leadership。 So of course when I understood the connection it jumped to the top of my reading list。The dimension of relatedness connected a missing piece that fits into many of the actual practices of working together that encouraged， and made thi I got the tip after Asking for more to read about RAMP （https://twitter。com/allenholub/status。。。）Relatedness， Autonomy， Mastery， Purpose。 AMP as presented by Pink in Drive （https://www。goodreads。com/book/show/6。。。） hade before been I guiding star for my leadership。 So of course when I understood the connection it jumped to the top of my reading list。The dimension of relatedness connected a missing piece that fits into many of the actual practices of working together that encouraged， and made this model more complete。 never aloneIf you read Drive or considering reading it I suggest reading this too。 It one of my favorites this year。 And cover Relatedness， Autonomy， and Mastery。 Not covering the part about purpose。 Though I found Relatedness and Purpose to overlap some， that was probably due to the fact that that they were missing in each model。Read it。 。。。more
Joséphine
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Okay， I can't write a good review for this book because I listened to it without paying enough attention， and I stopped halfway through。 Also， I'm really no expert in psychology。The first chapters were the best: defining self-motivation， autonomy， independance， showing why preserving someone's autonomy is so important， and why motivation has to come from the inner self， not from the outside， especially not in controlling ways。 For example in a certain study， telling students in group 1， "remembe Okay， I can't write a good review for this book because I listened to it without paying enough attention， and I stopped halfway through。 Also， I'm really no expert in psychology。The first chapters were the best: defining self-motivation， autonomy， independance， showing why preserving someone's autonomy is so important， and why motivation has to come from the inner self， not from the outside， especially not in controlling ways。 For example in a certain study， telling students in group 1， "remember this page， you'll have a test on this afterwards" leads to a much more superficial understanding of the material than telling students in group 2 "try to remember this page so you can explain the content to someone else afterwards"。 Ha， who would have guessed？ But it's still nice to see it black on white。 And yes， there were some more subtle findings， which I wish my terrifying history teacher in sixième had known about。But at some point in the book， the author ends up repeating himself， drawing conclusions for every aspect of life， dispensing moral advice to all people in "one up" positions （parents， educators， managers， etc。）， and that was less pertinent imo。 Still， I can only recommend the first few chapters。 。。。more
Tammy
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Decent book。 Mostly refresher of things I've heard before， put conveniently together in one set of pages。 Decent book。 Mostly refresher of things I've heard before， put conveniently together in one set of pages。 。。。more
Erik
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Deci challenges much of the conventional wisdom of teachers， managers， medical doctors and others in authority on how to get students， employees， and patients to do what is supposedly best for them。Carrots and sticks are usually less effective than the authorities seem to think。 On small tasks threats and incentives can make a difference。 For example， if you pay employees by the piece to produce items， then you'll probably encourage those employees to make more items。 But if you want students to Deci challenges much of the conventional wisdom of teachers， managers， medical doctors and others in authority on how to get students， employees， and patients to do what is supposedly best for them。Carrots and sticks are usually less effective than the authorities seem to think。 On small tasks threats and incentives can make a difference。 For example， if you pay employees by the piece to produce items， then you'll probably encourage those employees to make more items。 But if you want students to learn and remember knowledge beyond the test， if you want employees to do better and more creative work for your company， and if you want patients to commit to a course of treatment needed to get healthy， then outside motivation is not enough。 In fact， external rewards and punishments may backfire， sapping any real motivation， which must come from inside a person herself。Deci thinks that we should support the autonomy of the people we're responsible for managing or directing。 We can and should still have goals and we should still correct mistakes。 But it's better to involve your employees in creating your goals and to let your students diagnose their own mistakes， as long as they have the knowledge to do so。 If not， then a teacher can act as a coach， offering students the resources they need to achieve their own success。In the end， Deci is writing not just about performance or even fulfillment， but about freedom。 What does it mean to live as a free person？ Autonomy， which is not about just doing your own thing， but also about relating to others。 Duty turns out to be the greatest satisfaction， which is an optimistic message indeed。 。。。more
DaCane
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A book that breaks down so much of your psychosocial processes that underlie the choices you make。。。from not being able to sustain vehemently desired results to understanding which part of your controlled set of responses is least serving the future you envision for yourself。Understanding how to release your children from ever being controlled by psychosocial influences that are a part of living on this planet and creating the life you want to live。Much of it for me was highly repetitive and lac A book that breaks down so much of your psychosocial processes that underlie the choices you make。。。from not being able to sustain vehemently desired results to understanding which part of your controlled set of responses is least serving the future you envision for yourself。Understanding how to release your children from ever being controlled by psychosocial influences that are a part of living on this planet and creating the life you want to live。Much of it for me was highly repetitive and lacking in the depth of analysis in the area of formulating an effective solution， however， with much pause and consideration throughout this text you will find it does move seemingly insurmountable influences right out of the soul。Do read this book if you’re not getting results in any area of your life as it may seriously be a subconscious thought pattern that has yet been made clear to you that can shave years off of your struggle and change the course of your life。 。。。more
Santosh
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Best book by the father of Self-determination theory。 Most powerful and explanatory theory about intrinsic motivation。
Marilyn
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Powerful research-based principles for becoming authentically free and inviting others to be as well。 This book changes how I parent。
Basma
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I am very interested in the idea behind this book。 Parts of it are insightful and parts seemed to be a repetition of what was previously said。I am currently going through my own bout of de-motivation so some of what was in here rang true and offered a different way to look at it。But there’s something about the way the examples are written in this book to support their studies that I wasn’t a fan of at all。 I skimmed over most of them which was hard considering how they’re in between paragraphs b I am very interested in the idea behind this book。 Parts of it are insightful and parts seemed to be a repetition of what was previously said。I am currently going through my own bout of de-motivation so some of what was in here rang true and offered a different way to look at it。But there’s something about the way the examples are written in this book to support their studies that I wasn’t a fan of at all。 I skimmed over most of them which was hard considering how they’re in between paragraphs but I felt their analysis was self explanatory that the examples just made it dull。 。。。more
Lou
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Interesting but you get the point halfway through。
Taylor
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I was worried this was just going to another mild mannered repetitive positive psychology self-help book。 It kind of was。 But it was actually pretty good too。 I don’t think it was super impactful if you’ve already thought about being intentional with your life in general， but I felt it was worth the read for a school assigned book。
Ms Cole Teaches English
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This is a really great primer on self-determination。 The only problem is that I'm not sure where to go next。 This was published in 1995， so it's pretty dated。 I'd love more details and empirical research。 This is a really great primer on self-determination。 The only problem is that I'm not sure where to go next。 This was published in 1995， so it's pretty dated。 I'd love more details and empirical research。 。。。more
Teo 2050
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2020。01。11–2020。01。12ContentsDeci LE & Flaste R （1995） （07:33） Why We Do What We Do - Understanding Self-Motivation01。 Authority and Its DiscontentsPart I: The Importance of Autonomy and Competence02。 I'm Only In It for the Money: Early Experiments on Rewards and Alienation03。 The Need for Personal Autonomy04。 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: The Yields of Each05。 Engaging the World with a Sense of CompetencePart II: The Role of Interpersonal Connectedness06。 The Inner Force of Development07。 2020。01。11–2020。01。12ContentsDeci LE & Flaste R （1995） （07:33） Why We Do What We Do - Understanding Self-Motivation01。 Authority and Its DiscontentsPart I: The Importance of Autonomy and Competence02。 I'm Only In It for the Money: Early Experiments on Rewards and Alienation03。 The Need for Personal Autonomy04。 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: The Yields of Each05。 Engaging the World with a Sense of CompetencePart II: The Role of Interpersonal Connectedness06。 The Inner Force of Development07。 When Society Beckons08。 The Self in a Social World09。 When Society CorruptsPart III: How It All Works10。 How to Promote Autonomy11。 Promoting Healthy Behavior12。 Being Autonomous Amidst the ControlsPart IV: Conclusion13。 The Meaning of Human FreedomNotes on Works CitedList of Research ArticlesIndex 。。。more
Turgut
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Great book
Jeff T。
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Meh。 Although， I found a lot of good material in this book。 I was bored。
Alessya
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Extremely dry writing with no helpful examples is what made my star rating
Karson
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The title of this book doesn't tell the whole story。 If I didn't know any background about the author it is not something I would have picked up。 Some background: Edward Deci and Richard Ryan are the founders of Self Determination Theory。 I became interested in SDT in graduate school （Special Education） and wrote a paper on the theory and its relevance in alternative educational settings。 The theory has really shifted the way I look at education。The theory states: All people have 3 basic psychol The title of this book doesn't tell the whole story。 If I didn't know any background about the author it is not something I would have picked up。 Some background: Edward Deci and Richard Ryan are the founders of Self Determination Theory。 I became interested in SDT in graduate school （Special Education） and wrote a paper on the theory and its relevance in alternative educational settings。 The theory has really shifted the way I look at education。The theory states: All people have 3 basic psychological needs; competence， autonomy and social connection。 Competence is the need to feel good at something - like there is at least one area where you could be the teacher。 Autonomy is the need to feel like you have some control in your daily activities and your life in general。 Social connection is a positive rapport with at least a few other human beings。People in "one-up" positions （teachers， bosses， politicians） can either thwart or nurture the fulfillment of these needs in people in "one-down" positions （students， employees， voters） that are in their care。 A person in a "one-up" position has the power to create a climate where all three psychological needs are considered。 When an autonomy supportive community that allows opportunity for people to gain competence is achieved it's members will experience more internal motivation， fulfillment， curiosity and vitality。 That's basically the gist of the theory。 The author goes into several intriguing forays throughout the book。 A couple of the most interesting are 1）people with high ego involvement and what I will call 2）toxic internalizations。 An example of a person with a high ego involvement is someone whose identity is easily threatened by others because they have rigidly internalized values like strength， intelligence and courage for example。 Their self esteem is threatened whenever they are around other people with high levels of the three qualities。 They will therefore get into pissing contests （sorry） with other people with those qualities because they are threatened by them。An example of a "toxic internalization" is a message that gets implanted into your brain as you develop for example， "i will only have a positive rapport with you if you are good at sports。" If a 5 year old gets this message from a caregiver it is really threatening because it limits their autonomy and freedom。 If they want to have a whole host of important needs met， then they need to be an athlete and the kid might not have an athletic bend。 As the kid develops into adulthood they internalize this message and might shame themselves if they are not good at a physical challenge。 Basically the adult creates a slave/master relationship within themselves so it becomes very difficult for them to participate in activities that genuinely nurture their true selves because their true selves are buried under a bunch of "toxic internalizations。"There are a lot more interesting asides。 The power in this theory for me is how transformative it can be when it is applied。 People who have never felt like their voice has been heard will really blossom in an autonomy supportive setting。 Reading about this theory really highlights how constrictive our society really is for some people。 I have found that it is a pretty productive and meaningful lens in which to view humans。 If you really want to respect other people in a deep way， I think applying this theory is a good way to start trying to do that。 。。。more
Don
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Why We Do What We Do is one of those books I wish I'd read years ago。 It's essentially a primer on self-determination theory， which is a grand theory explaining， just as the book's title suggests， why we humans do what we do。 The theory holds that in order to flourish we must have three basic psychological needs meet -- the needs to live with authenticity， to feel competent in our work， and to forge close connections with others。 One Goodreads reviewer complains that Deci at times "drifts off in Why We Do What We Do is one of those books I wish I'd read years ago。 It's essentially a primer on self-determination theory， which is a grand theory explaining， just as the book's title suggests， why we humans do what we do。 The theory holds that in order to flourish we must have three basic psychological needs meet -- the needs to live with authenticity， to feel competent in our work， and to forge close connections with others。 One Goodreads reviewer complains that Deci at times "drifts off in broader conclusions that sound a lot more like witch-doctor， Freudian， pseudo-science than well-defined science。" I think that's a fair criticism， but it doesn't stop me from giving this a full five stars， as most of the book's claims are supported by solid research， and its implications are profound and truly life-changing。 Moreover， unlike the fascinating but academic and difficult Self-Determination Theory， this book is eminently readable。 。。。more
Emmanuelle
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It's not my favorite but it should be read。 For my part， I had a lot of trouble reading it， finding the catchphrase！ It's not my favorite but it should be read。 For my part， I had a lot of trouble reading it， finding the catchphrase！ 。。。more
Kyle Woodhouse
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The book was fine。 The good = hammered home the need for intrinsic motivation and autonomous support。 What I wanted more of = didn’t provide enough examples or practices in actually improving in areas the it recommended。 Lots of great researchbut not a lot of practical application。
Jonathan Hardy
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I think this is a must read。 There are more consumable books on the topic but not nearly as convincing or well thought out。
Adam
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A pretty straightforward book that pushes back somewhat on behaviorism。 The big takeaway for me was， how do you build a system that encourages people to positively change and feel motivated rather than forcing change on people。 The book was a little dry here and there， but over all it's a good quick read。 A pretty straightforward book that pushes back somewhat on behaviorism。 The big takeaway for me was， how do you build a system that encourages people to positively change and feel motivated rather than forcing change on people。 The book was a little dry here and there， but over all it's a good quick read。 。。。more
Steve Garvin
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