IB Sports, exercise and health science C.3.2.1 Self-determination Theory and the Basic Needs of Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness Notes

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

1. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in 1985 to explain why people engage in and persist with activities.
2. The theory proposes that motivation quality depends on whether three innate psychological needs are satisfied: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

The Three Basic Psychological Needs

Autonomy

1. Autonomy is the need to feel that actions are self-chosen and consistent with personal values, rather than driven by external pressure or control.
2. A swimmer who chooses 5 a.m. training because she wants to is autonomous.
3. A swimmer dragged there by a parent is not, even though the behaviour looks identical from outside.
4. Autonomy does not mean independence: athletes can act autonomously while following a coach's plan, as long as they agree with the reasoning and feel involved in decisions.

Competence

1. Competence is the need to feel effective: to know that effort produces results, that skills are improving, and that challenges can be overcome.
2. Competence rises when tasks sit in the stretch zone: hard enough to require effort, achievable enough that improvement is visible.
3. Feedback supports competence most when it is informational (explaining what specifically improved) rather than purely evaluative ('good' or 'bad').

Relatedness

1. Relatedness is the need to feel connected to other people: to belong, to matter, and to be cared for within a group.
2. In sport, relatedness comes from teammates, training partners, and the coach-athlete relationship.
3. Even individual sport athletes build relatedness through the wider squad culture.
4. Relatedness is often the most underrated of the three needs: athletes drop out far more often because they feel unseen by the squad than because training is too hard.

Three-Legged Stool Analogy

1. The three needs are additive: satisfying one but blocking the others produces only partial motivation.
2. A fully need-supportive environment satisfies all three at once, which drives motivation toward intrinsic engagement.

Need Satisfaction vs Need Thwarting

1. Need satisfaction occurs when the environment actively supports autonomy, competence, and relatedness, producing higher motivation, performance, and well-being.
2. Need thwarting goes further than simply withholding support: it actively attacks the needs, driving anxiety, dropout, and ill-being rather than just low motivation.

1. Thwarting autonomy: a controlling coach who micromanages every decision removes the athlete's sense of volition.
2. Thwarting competence: constant negative comparison to better athletes, harsh public criticism, or tasks that are always too hard expose the athlete as inadequate.
3. Thwarting relatedness: cliques, exclusion, and social isolation within the squad undermine belonging and can precipitate amotivation or burnout.

The Stretch Zone

1. Tasks that just exceed current ability sit in the stretch zone, where effort is required but improvement is visible within a session or week.
2. Tasks that are too easy feel boring and do not build competence.
3. Tasks that are too hard feel overwhelming and generate anxiety rather than mastery.

Applying SDT in Sport

1. Coaches, PE teachers, and health professionals can deliberately design environments around the three needs to promote intrinsic motivation and long-term participation.
2. For autonomy: offer choices between training options, explain the rationale behind non-negotiable tasks, and invite athletes to set personal session goals.
3. For competence: calibrate challenge to the stretch zone, provide informational feedback about specific improvements, and structure training so visible progress occurs regularly.
4. For relatedness: build squad rituals, acknowledge personal milestones, pair athletes strategically, and respond to athletes as individuals rather than just performers.