{"id":"self-determination","title":"Self-determination theory","summary":"A theory explaining conditions for behavior and growth by connecting autonomy, competence and relatedness with the quality of motivation.","concepts":["Autonomy: experiencing the reasons for action as one’s own","Competence: experiencing the ability to act effectively","Relatedness: experiencing connection and respect from others"],"application":"Review reasons for choices, suitable challenges and feedback, and supportive relationships when designing education, work or onboarding.","limitations":"This is not a tool for diagnosing individual motivation with three scores. The effects of rewards and choice depend on how they are provided and on context.","directions":["Autonomy support: explain reasons and allow meaningful choice.","Structure support: clarify performance criteria and available help."],"category":"Organization and HR","kind":"theory","kind_label":"Theory","persona_ids":["hr-manager","teacher","instructional-designer","customer-success-manager"],"revision":1,"updated_at":"2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z","sources":[{"title":"The Theory","url":"https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/the-theory/","publisher":"Center for Self-Determination Theory","edition":"Official theory overview","region":"International reference; verify the application environment","checked_at":"2026-10-07","reuse":"Independent editorial summary and source link; the original text is not republished."}],"review":{"status":"source-checked-editorial","expert_reviewed":false},"editorial_note":"Editorial English translation of the Korean edition. No professional translation or occupational expert review has been completed. Translation does not change the source jurisdiction.","language":"en","translation":{"status":"current","source_language":"ko","source_version":"kb-2291d181f4836c37","translated_at":"2026-10-09","professional_reviewed":false},"trust":"reference-data","version":"kb-15afcfd86d8181ba","links":{"document":"/en/knowledge/self-determination","markdown":"/en/knowledge/self-determination.md","api":"/api/v1/knowledge/self-determination?lang=en"}}