Developing Who I Am: A Self-Determination Theory Approach to the Establishment of Healthy Identities

Abstract

According to traditional theories of identity development, exploration of one's potentials and commitment to a coherent set of values, goals, and behaviors are important to healthy identity development. In this article, I examine how the Self-determination Theory framework provides an understanding of motivational processes that influence these identity concepts of exploration and commitment. Specifically, I review evidence that suggests that the concept of basic psychological needs frames the development of identity through processes of intrinsic motivation and internalization and that need support for these processes by important relationship partners may facilitate outcomes, including academic interest, engagement, and achievement, as well as overall well-being. Finally, I provide a glimpse of potential future directions of research, particularly emphasizing the role of need support when identity is in flux (e.g., reactivated exploration either by self-directed or environmentally prompted events) or when challenged by macrolevel social pressures, such as high-stakes testing in education.

Notes

¹Internalization from the SDT perspective refers to how people incorporate inputs from the environment to form self structures and specifically refers to relative position of a given behavior on the autonomy continuum. Thus, although behaviors may have a variety of motivations underlying them, internalization refers to the extent to which the behavior is enacted autonomously. This concept thus encompasses the assimilation process as described by Piaget (1952, 1981), but it also describes the extent to which the person has accommodated their behavior in accord with external demands. As I note throughout this article, SDT makes an important distinction about the extent to which accommodation is actually healthy, with the relative autonomy with which behaviors are enacted showing differences in sustained engagement in identity pursuits and personal well-being.