Personal Agency and Intrinsic Motivation for Well-Being

Personal Agency

Can I do this? Agency & Well-Being Intrinsic Motivation Lapses in Personal Agency

Personal Agency - People value competence and mastery - Origins rather than pawns Autonomy Competence

Perception of Personal Control Perception of Control Subjective Well-Being Autonomy, ability to create opportunities, power over outcomes Those who perceive that they have personal control: Greater persistence Higher self-esteem More creativity Less passivity Less alienation

Perceiving No Personal Control Stress Increased stress and anxiety due to lack of feeling of autonomy Depressive Realism Less optimistic but more accurate view of control over outcomes Learned Helplessness Lack of effort due to previous negative outcomes

Internal and External Control Are the outcomes I experience due to my own effort or other circumstances? Internal External Own actions don t matter much outcomes are out of their control. Own actions determine the outcomes they obtain.

Those with intrinsic motivation: Perceive personal control Have high motivation Are more resistant to social influence Have a clearer self-concept etc Positively predicts achievement Those with extrinsic motivation: Perceive less personal control Tend to not take on as difficult of tasks May have trouble facing obstacles Have a less clear self-concept etc Positively predicts resilience

More on Intrinsic Motivation The Over-Justification Effect People sometimes emphasize intrinsic motivation when there is no reward for an activity Lepper et al., 1973 20 15 Percent time playing with magic markers Receiving a reward for an activity may decrease the degree to which you enjoy it. Decreases intrinsic while increasing extrinsic motivation 10 5 0 Expected Unexpected Reward Condition None

For a clip on the Over-Justification Effect CLICK HERE

Levels of Personal Agency Action Identification Theory Levels of identifying one s actions they take What determines it? Preference for high Act ID Sometimes there is a need for low ACT ID Optimality: best of both worlds ideal for task completion High Level ID when task is: familiar, difficult but do-able, familiar, and uninterrupted Low Level ID when task is: new, complex and difficult, and unfamiliar

Individual differences in ACT ID Behavioral Identification Form Choose the statement that best describes the action for you: 3. Resisting temptation 1. Making a list (a) Getting organized (b) Writing things down (a) Saying no (b) Showing moral courage 2. Reading (a) Following lines of print (b) Gaining knowledge 4. Eating (a) Getting nutrition (b) Chewing and swallowing

High- vs. Low-Level Agents Implications of high- vs. low-level agency Skilled actions, mastery Traits v specific behaviors Planning vs. impulse Self-concept certainty Internal vs. external locus of control Self-esteem stability Resistance to social influence How do people become high- vs. low-level agents? Developmental instability Childhood hobbies and skills

Is Stress Always Bad? Too much stress = Cannot effectively cope 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 No stress = Don t develop effective coping skills Life Satisfaction 0.1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 -0.1 -0.2 Moderate amounts of stress in early life predicts life satisfaction later in life -0.3 -0.4 -0.5 Cumulative Lifetime Stress

Problems in Personal Agency Level of Act ID Task Difficulty/Mastery Performance Quality + Task Difficulty - Difficulty, High-Level Act ID Greater meaning & implications Details how to perform action + + Difficulty, Low-Level Act ID Ideal Act ID -

Consequences of Non-Optimality Poor Performance Choking under pressure Focusing on high Act ID instead of low Getting distracted by overall goal instead of focusing on details Consequences in armature athletes New basketball player trying to win championship vs how to shoot Choking on details Focusing on low Act ID instead of high Getting caught up in the details Ex: Focusing on how to move your feet when you walk A professional tennis player focusing on how to hold the racket More insight on task performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqgmozFr_GM

More Problems in Personal Agency Self- Perceived lack of control over outcomes Anxiety Consciousness CLICK HERE for a summary of personal control.