Explanation and Practice Application of Self-Determination Theory
Ryan S. Charland
University of Central Florida

Core concepts
Self-Determination Theory is the concept that people are internally predisposed towards the accusation of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. SDT claims that these are the three basic psychological needs, the accusation of which results in a state of “full functioning”, or an emotional state of content, happiness, and prosperity. These constructs are considered needs by SDT, as the theory posits that the lack of these psychological ingredients will result in the deterioration of an individual’s psychological state. Integrally, the importance of the accusation of these needs remains true across the …show more content…
Competence is the first of the three basic necessities. A competent individual is one who can efficiently operate within their environment. An individual without competence is unable to effectively care for themselves mentally and physically, likely leading to numerous detrimental physical and psychological pathologies. Lack of competence may also lead to the inability to express the second basic need, Autonomy. Autonomous individuals feel in control of their own decisions and, in turn, the contents of their future. A person lacking competence feels unable to pursue the greatest version of their future, and as such, become a direct hindrance to their own success. The third and final basic necessity is relatedness. An individual expressing relatability feels camaraderie with others within a group, identity, or culture. A person who lacks relatedness puts themselves in severe danger in regards to both external threats, such as changes in one’s environment change, and internal threats, such as disease. In conclusion, each of the basic necessities are unlikely important to an individual’s base psychological and physical …show more content…
The most basic way in which one can incorporate SDT into their daily life is by organizing their day in a way which incorporates the basic necessities. In specific, when you plan your activates you can make time for groups to achieve relatedness, sports to attain competence, and the act of making a schedule itself will make you more autonomous. If you are in a position where the luxury of making your own schedule is out of reach, you can instead focus on constructing simple crafts—such as small wood carvings or rudimentary sown crafts—in your off time. By doing this simple and inexpensive exercise, you will satisfy your needs for autonomy and competency. Furthermore, you also maximize your potential by learning a new trait, which contains the potential for profit and also a new revenue for achieving relatedness. If learning a new skill seems unfeasible, you might consider refining an old talent. We all have hobbies which we dropped for any number of reasons and by picking them back up we can rediscover ways in which we used to find relatedness, autonomy, and most relevantly competence. As you can see, there are a litany of ways in which you can incorporate SDT into your daily