Self-Determination: Autonomy

Self-determination is a psychological framework for human success and happiness. Today we’ll explore the first of three basic psychological needs required for self-determination and intrinsic motivation.

Autonomy

Desire to be causal agents of one’s own life and act in harmony with one’s integrated self; however, note this does not mean to be independent of others, but rather constitutes a feeling of overall psychological liberty and freedom of internal will. When a person is autonomously motivated their performance, wellness, and engagement is heightened rather than if a person is told what to do (a.k.a. control motivation).

via Wikipedia

“I’m here because I want to be here.” That’s true of virtually everyone in a choir; and that autonomy is a huge gift towards the cause of self-determination.

The researchers have also found that creating extrinsic awards for intrinsic motivation actually undermines people’s interest in it, because it lowers autonomy. If we try to motivate students for things they were going to do anyway, we actually lower their motivation.

Autonomy helps student motivation and it helps create a sense of team that is palpable in the room.

So we don’t force students to join choir. They have the autonomy to make that decision. And I think we can go further, giving students plenty of autonomy to make decisions about the trajectory of the choir. More and more choir directors are allowing their choirs to have a hand in selecting repertoire, in selecting their section leaders, in selecting the extra performances they add.

What other situations offer youth a sense of autonomy? It’s important to ask, because young people, especially, can feel a lack of autonomy in almost every aspect of their life. There is a sense of autonomy in joining an athletic team, though there is a history of coaches working to intentionally undermine individuals’ autonomy “for the sake of the team.” Certain video games such as Minecraft can give you a sense of autonomy – the games give you control of the world and what you do in it. But overall, autonomy can be very hard for youth to achieve in their lives; as such, it should be front and center if we seek to make self-determination a priority in the experience we create for our students.

There are two more basic psychological needs that are required for self-determination. Tomorrow, let’s explore the second.