Predicting the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation: the roles of self-determination, the balance of challenges and skills, and self-realization values.
A series of studies was conducted to investigate the contributions of self-determination, perceived competence, and self-realization values to the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation. Using varying sets of instructions in these studies, college undergraduates generated and subsequently evaluated panels of identity-related activities. Three measures of the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation were used as outcome variables: (a) interest, (b) flow experiences, and (c) feelings of personal expressiveness. These subjective experience measures were strongly intercorrelated. Across studies, self-determination was found to be strongly associated with all of the subjective experience measures. In contrast, self-realization values made larger contributions to flow experiences and to personal expressiveness than to interest. Perceived competence, although significantly correlated with all subjective experience measures, played a considerably smaller role in the prediction of intrinsic motivation.
Waterman
Alan S
AS
Department of Psychology, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718, Ewing, NJ 08628-0718, USA. water@tcnj.edu
Schwartz
Seth J
SJ
Goldbacher
Edie
E
Green
Hope
H
Miller
Christine
C
Philip
Susheel
S
D000339:Affect; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012945:Social Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires