Succeed Ch. 5 Flashcards
image-maintenance goals and happiness
People whose goals are about image maintenance and financial gain tend to be far less happy even if they succeed at their goals
what aspects of one’s goals matter for achieving happiness?
the content & source of the goal
external pressure & goals
- People who pursue goals because of external pressures don’t work as hard or as well
- They use superficial strategies that will help them merely “get by”
Deci and Ryan on human motivations
all humans have three basic motivations
what are Deci & Ryan’s motivations?
relatedness, competence, and autonomy
relatedness
the desire to feel connected to and care for others
competence
the desire to have an effect on your environment and be able to get the things you want out of it
intelligence and competence
Intelligence is a kind of competence, but not the only kind
autonomy
the desire to choose and organize your own experiences
what kinds of goals satisfy all three of Deci and Ryan’s needs?
Goals about making, supporting, or strengthening our relationships, contributing to our communities, and helping others
what kinds of goals don’t satisfy all three of Deci and Ryan’s needs?
Goals about seeking other people’s validation, such as becoming rich and famous
does achieving goals that don’t satisfy all three of Deci and Ryan’s needs make us happy?
Achieving these goals doesn’t make us happy but we think it will so we pursue them
when do we turn to superficial goals?
when our needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy are being frustrated
what kinds of goals create intrinsic motivation?
self-chosen goals
intrinsic motivation
the desire to do something for its own sake
autonomy-supportive situations
situations where people have choices or the illusion of choices
the impact of choice on goal success
When people feel that they have choices, they are more motivated and successful
the impact control on intrinsic motivation
Intrinsically motivated students abandon their pursuits when they feel too controlled
Lepper et al. preschool children and intrinsic motivation study
found that a group of 3-5-year-old children who were offered rewards to play with markers were no longer interested in playing with markers in the absence of a reward
what rewards do not negatively impact intrinsic motivation?
Unexpected rewards, rewards that are not contingent on performance, verbal rewards, and rewards when intrinsic motivation is not an issue
what factors negatively impact intrinsic motivation?
Threats, surveillance, deadlines, and other pressures
having a choice vs. having the illusion of a choice
It isn’t having a choice that matters as much as the illusion of having a choice
Cordova & Lepper choice vs. feeling of choice study
- found that in the feeling-of-choice condition, students liked the game much more and were far more likely to be willing to stay after class to continue playing, even though it meant giving up valuable recess time
- Those who experienced an irrelevant choice used more strategic moves and scored higher on a subsequent math test measuring what they had learned. They also reported greater confidence in their ability and said they would enjoy a more challenging version of the game in the future
autonomy and well-being
Our need for autonomy is vital to our psychological well-being
Langer & Robin autonomy and wellbeing in nursing homes study
nursing home residents in the feeling-of-choice condition reported being happier and feeling more active. They were rated by the nurses as more alert and as having mental and physical improvement while the no-choice group’s condition deteriorated. Their mortality rate was also cut in half after 18 months
internalization
when people take externally based rules and requests and come to personally endorse them as values
what is the best way to foster internalization?
Giving people a sense of autonomy when assigning them a goal
when is internalization facilitated?
when our basic needs are supported, we experience feelings of relatedness to others, and we feel competent concerning the value being internalized
how can we enhance feelings of relatedness and competence?
by understanding the rationale behind the value
internalization and well-being
Internalization results in greater well-being and happiness from the goals we embrace as our own
autonomy and interdependence
Autonomy does not conflict with interdependence
interdependence
feeling connected to, caring for, and working in collaboration with others
