The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior

Self-determination theory (SDT) maintains that an understanding of human mo tivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for compete nce, autonomy and relatedness. We discuss the SDT concept of needs as it re lates to previous need theories, emphasizing that needs specify the necessa ry conditions for psychological growth, integrity and well-being. This conc ept of needs leads to the hypotheses that different regulatory processes un derlying goal pursuits are differentially associated that effective functio ning and well-being and also that different goal contents have different re lations to the quality of behavior and mental health, specifically because different regulatory: processes and different goal contents are associated with differing degrees of need satisfaction. Social contexts and individual differences that support satisfaction of the basic needs facilitate natura l growth processes including intrinsically motivated behavior and integrati on of extrinsic motivations, whereas those that forestall autonomy, compete nce, or relatedness are associated with poorer motivation, performance, and well-being. We also discuss the relation of the psychological needs to cul tural values, evolutionary processes, and other contemporary motivation the ories.