Publications

Tapping the humanistic potential of self-determination theory: Awakening to paradox.

Faculty Author(s): Bland, Andrew M.
Student Author(s): -
Department: PSYCH
Publication: The Humanistic Psychologist
Year: 2018
Abstract: Self-determination theory (SDT) is a contemporary macrotheory of motivation, personality, and wellness that has accumulated a large empirical research base. Many of its basic principles are humanistic in character, but there is little literature on it from within the ranks of humanistic psychology. This article presents an overview of the theory designed specifically for a humanistic audience and considers SDT’s potential as a contemporary variant of humanistic psychology. SDT’s core concept of autonomy is compared with the humanistic notion of willing, which formally introduces paradox as a fundamental aspect of self-development. Paradox is then pursued as a theme that can be used to tap the humanistic potential of SDT. Subsequent analyses focus on various integrative strengths or virtues derived from Knowles’s (1986) existential-phenomenological interpretation of Eriksonian (1963) developmental theory, certain optimal forms of experience, happiness, and well-being. We conclude with some exploratory remarks concerning motivation, personality, and the paradoxical bipolarity of human nature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Link: Tapping the humanistic potential of self-determination theory: Awakening to paradox.