Self-Determination Theory
A motivation theory focused on autonomy, competence and relatedness as conditions that support growth and internal motivation.
Deci and Ryan / Center for Self-Determination Theory
This page is a plain-English practice summary. It attributes the source field and avoids presenting the framework as Positively Devious intellectual property.
What this framework helps with
- designing programmes that support motivation
- reviewing whether young people have choice and mastery
- thinking beyond rewards and compliance
Three questions it helps teams ask
- Where do young people have meaningful choice?
- How do they experience progress and competence?
- Do relationships support or undermine motivation?
How to use it in youth and community work
Use Self-Determination Theory as a lens for better decisions, not as a script. Start with the local context, invite the people affected by the work into the interpretation, and turn the framework into practical questions, design choices and learning habits.
For Positively Devious, this framework matters because it helps explain one part of the wider conditions around positive deviance: the relationships, opportunities, skills, systems and power arrangements that make uncommon positive outcomes more likely to be noticed and learned from.
What to watch out for
- autonomy is not the same as leaving people unsupported
- competence requires achievable challenge and feedback
- motivation is shaped by context, not personality alone