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Edward L. Deci
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Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation Paperback – August 1, 1996

by Edward L. Deci (Author), Richard Flaste (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 290 ratings
See all formats and editions
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What motivates us as students, employees, and individuals?

If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done. But is this the most effective method of motivation? No, says psychologist Edward L. Deci, who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance. The best way to motivate people—at school, at work, or at home—is to support their sense of autonomy. Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate interest and commitment, and is a much more effective approach than the standard system of reward and punishment. We are all inherently interested in the world, argues Deci, so why not nurture that interest in each other? Instead of asking, "How can I motivate people?" we should be asking, "How can I create the conditions within which people will motivate themselves?"

"An insightful and provocative meditation on how people can become more genuinely engaged and succesful in pursuing their goals." —Publisher's Weekly

Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    August 1, 1996
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.72 x 5.08 x 0.57 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0140255265
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140255263
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward L. Deci, Ph.D., professor of pyschology at the University of Rochester, is director of its human motivation program.
Richard Flaste, former Science and Health Editor of The New York Times, led the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1987.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (August 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140255265
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140255263
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.72 x 5.08 x 0.57 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 290 ratings

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Edward L. Deci

Edward L. Deci

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
290 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

N J Baker MD
5.0 out of 5 stars Why employee engagement is not just another fad.
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2011
Verified Purchase
Employee engagement and the accompanying idea of intrinsic motivation are popular concepts at the moment. If you have any doubts that intrinsic motivation is critical to productivity, quality of conceptual understanding, level of creativity and ability to problem solve then this is the book to read. While not always an easy read, Edward Deci covers thirty years of psychological research which underscore that the current drive for employee engagement is not just another "fad."

In addition, Deci defines the research behind the incredibly helpful concept of "autonomy support"--creating a feeling of autonomy for others even in the midst of limits and expectations. Research shows that a feeling of autonomy is critical for intrinsic motivation. This is of course, paradoxical and leaders face this all the time--leaders have to set goals and expectations yet they also want to generate intrinsic motivation and therefore a feeling of autonomy.

Deci describes the means to master this paradox better than any other writer in business or psychology. It requires significant skill and sensitivity to nuance of communication. Leaders have to communicate a genuine intention of wanting to achieve outcomes as opposed to wanting to control others; leaders have to show they understand the implications for others of their decisions even if negative; leaders must find any way to integrate choice; and leaders have to make a strong commitment to support employees in taking on new goals, etc.

The bottom line is that intrinsic motivation and autonomy support are crucial for results and for creating a community of work that sustains and continues to generate results. And, every single communication counts.

Neil Baker Coaching and Consulting LLC, WEBSITE: neilbakercoaching.com
6 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great foundation of SDT
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2023
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Great book! Well worth the read or listen.
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Jaewoo Kim
4.0 out of 5 stars Great but little weak on how to improve self motivation
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2007
Verified Purchase
This is a very good book written by a Professor in Psychology. All the facts and conclusions in this book have a strong basis in empirical research. If you want to a good overview of human motivation from clinical psychology perspective, this is a must read.

There is, however, scant information on "how to improve" self motivation. The author goes into great depth on what can demotivate people, but provides very little suggestions on how we can improve our motivation.

Perhaps this is due to author's strict adherence to empirical psychology. I imagine he is not a person who will give psychological suggestions lightly.

The author strongly suggests that increasing self motivation involves focusing one our natural autonomous motivation while staying away from environments and thoughts which can demotivate us.

At any rate, this book is superior to the plethora of psychological books based on NLP.

Overall, this is a highly credible book which is worth a read.
18 people found this helpful
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Abdullah
5.0 out of 5 stars a MUST read book for everyone can controlling others (parents, teacher, admins..)
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
I'm a language learning motivation researcher, considering several aspects of learners' psychology. I read this and many other related journal articles, and I can confidently say that this book is by far one of the most influential books written about human motivation.
* You will be most likely shocked by the concept of autonomous motivation and how is it central to optimum and healthy performance.
* As a parent, you MUST read and APPLY this concept and you will see the difference in the long-term in your kids. I already saw this in my children.
* In any situation where you can control other, think twice before controlling them; it's not only about them, but about you in the first place.

As language learning motivation researcher, the concept of self-motivation is highly regarded in terms of achieving the learning of the second language. We still investigate the positive results come from taking learners perspective in learning and using the language, and it seems of particular importance.

I'm only wondering why this book is not available for Kindle?
6 people found this helpful
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Alexander N.
5.0 out of 5 stars We can motivate people better by supporting and enhancing their autonomy
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2008
Verified Purchase
This is an important book that describes how people in one up-position can motivate people in one-down position (for example, how parents or teachers can motivate their children or students). Basically, people are better motivated to perform certain task if their autonomy, competence, and relatedness to other people are supported and enhanced. The book covers many experiments that has been done in motivation psychology since 1970's. For example, what happens when you reward a person to perform a task when they are intrinsically motivated to do so?

It goes without saying that people are more motivated to perform certain tasks if they are inherently motivated in performing that task. However, interestingly, rewards such as money may be detrimental to maintaining inherent motivation. For example, if you reward a person to do a task that they are already motivated to do and then withdraw the reward, the motivation to do the task actually decreases. Although the person was originally motivated to perform the task without the presence of a reward, after giving the reward the person is not motivated as much to perform the task if the reward is not present (this may be due to the possibility that the individual has now become conditioned to the presence of a reward for performing that task and thus automatically expects a reward to be present).

Of course, one can always motivate people by rewarding them with money, status, power, etc., however, the performance of the behavior is not maintained once you withdraw such reward unless their autonomy, self-competence, and relatedness to people was enhanced during the performance of the task.

I gave the book 5 stars because of the importance of the subjects covered. However, the book is sometimes a little boring to read.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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sunil kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener, a must read book.
Reviewed in India on March 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
An eye opener, must read. I really enjoyed this great work by a great author.
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Rh Playlists
2.0 out of 5 stars Books has lots of highlighted text with marker
Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Though this books was supposed to be in very good shape - which it is, since I couldn't see any missing pages - there is a lot of text which is highlighted with pink marker, which makes it difficult for a new reader to concentrate and extract the essence of what I think is important, without being distracted by what the previous owner marked in the book. There are also a lot of notes made with normal pen, which I don't understand, which makes it even more distracting and somehow look messy.
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Rh Playlists
2.0 out of 5 stars Books has lots of highlighted text with marker
Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2017
Though this books was supposed to be in very good shape - which it is, since I couldn't see any missing pages - there is a lot of text which is highlighted with pink marker, which makes it difficult for a new reader to concentrate and extract the essence of what I think is important, without being distracted by what the previous owner marked in the book. There are also a lot of notes made with normal pen, which I don't understand, which makes it even more distracting and somehow look messy.
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One person found this helpful
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Alfonso Torrero
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro
Reviewed in Mexico on February 28, 2017
Verified Purchase
Desde hace mucho lo quería y me salió en menos de 100, ojalá lo vuelvan a poner en oferta. Excelente libro para todo público, tanto gente interesada en temas de motivación como cualquier persona que se pregunte qué nos motiva y por qué es tan importante hacer las actividades que más nos gustan para mejorar nuestro bienestar y el trabajo que realizamos.
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Nicholas
5.0 out of 5 stars Great small book
Reviewed in Australia on April 2, 2019
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Worth getting
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Luisde
4.0 out of 5 stars Introducción a la teoría y trabajo del autor para el público general
Reviewed in Spain on June 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
El libro está escrito por Deci que es uno de los psicólogos más reconocidos en el ámbito de la motivación. La primera parte del libro es un resumen de su propia teoría de la autodeterminación (self-determination), desarollada conjuntamente con Ryan. Conceptos claves: autonomía, competencia y relación (relatedness). La segunda parte del libro enlaza la teoría con libertad, emociones, ... Insiste mucho, a veces demasiado, en la idea del soporte a la autonomía (autonomy support). Creo que sobre todo al final el libro da demasiadas vueltas a conceptos o idea inconexas y no se ve línea argumental clara.

Este libro está bien como introducción al tema y trabajo del autor. Está orientado, en mi opinión, al público en general. No es muy académico (para bien o para mal). Habría que acudir a otras fuentes de este autor para más detalles.
One person found this helpful
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