Motivation and Emotion - Call for Papers: New Directions for Self-Determination Theory
Guest editors: Joshua L. Howard (Monash University), Emma L. Bradshaw (Australian Catholic University), Richard M. Ryan (Australian Catholic University)
Self-determination theory (SDT) is a comprehensive theory of motivation, development, and well-being that explains the psychological mechanisms responsible for autonomous motivation and optimal functioning (Ryan & Deci, 2017). It has been applied across many areas of psychology including but not limited to education, parenting, the workplace, health, sport, and clinical domains, and now has decades of research supporting the major premises. The past half-decade has seen an explosion of meta-analyses targeting core SDT constructs, resulting in more than 60 SDT-focused meta-analyses (Ryan et al., 2023). With so much evidence supporting the core tenets, we find ourselves wondering where the theory will go next. The aim of this special issue is to showcase work pushing SDT into new areas and highlight novel ideas to inspire the growth and development of the theory.
The range of topics to which SDT has been applied is significant and growing. Developing literatures have arisen on topics such as solitude (Weinstein et al., 2022), algorithmic management (Gagné et al., 2022), need crafting (Laporte et al., 2021), and group need satisfaction (Kachanoff et al., 2022) to provide but a few examples. Relationship motivation theory has been introduced as a new mini-theory under the SDT umbrella, while goal contents theory has seen a re-emergence. We welcome submissions that open new avenues or substantially develop nascent and under-researched areas of SDT.
SDT also has the ability to help address societal challenges and may contribute to the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. When considering broader societal issues, the positioning of SDT alongside economic, political, philosophical, and sociological theories becomes highly relevant. Autonomy supportive teaching, for example, has proven remarkably beneficial and trainable (Su & Reeve, 2011), yet teachers themselves may remain at the mercy of controlling institutions and institutional practices including standardized, high-stakes testing (Ryan & Weinstein, 2009). In such examples, the practical impact of SDT depends not only on the validity of basic psychological needs, but also our ability to engage with institutional policy and the multidisciplinary perspectives that inform them. Recent work by DeHaan et al., (2016) and Bradshaw et al., (2023) has started to investigate the alignment of SDT with philosophical positions, while Martela and colleagues (2023) continue to push for SDT principles in national decision making and policy. Further work that applies SDT to broad issues of society and policy are encouraged.
The rapid growth of open science and availability of new forms of data, both within and outside of academia, present opportunities for applying and testing SDT. The last decade has seen the normalization of preregistration, open-source data, large-scale replication projects, and an increase in community-based research teams such as the Psychological Science Accelerator. Technological developments have seen new forms of data become available to us via methods such as data scraping and text analysis, and on much larger, often national scales. Studies showcasing best practice in open science and/or testing SDT principles using novel sources of data are welcome.
In this special issue, we aim to push the boundaries of SDT by capturing new directions across four broad themes. Specifically, we are interested in research that considers a) new or under-researched topics and methods within SDT, b) novel connections between SDT and neighbouring fields of psychological research such as genetics or neuroscience, c) meaningful alignment between SDT and non-psychology disciplines including (but not limited to) economics and philosophy, and d) societal impacts at large. This special issue is open to both empirical research and well-evidenced theoretical contributions.
Timeline and submission instructions
Initial manuscripts are due April 30, 2024.
Please submit your manuscript through the journal’s manuscript submission portal. When asked whether your submission is for a special issue, please select ‘yes’ and select ‘S.I.: New Directions for Self-Determination Theory’. Each proposal will be evaluated based on relevance for and fit with the topic of the special issue, innovation, and methodological rigor. Please follow the general Motivation and Emotion submission guidelines (https://www.springer.com/journal/11031/submission-guidelines).
Full peer-review will be provided by July 31, 2024, and revisions will be due by October 30, 2024. The second round of reviews will be completed by December 31, 2024, and submissions will be accepted in final form by February 28, 2025. The special issue will be published in June 2025.
Please direct any questions regarding the special issue to either Josh Howard (josh.howard@monash.edu (this opens in a new tab)) or Emma Bradshaw (emma.bradshaw@acu.edu.au) (this opens in a new tab).
References
Bradshaw, E. L., DeHaan, C. R., Parker, P. D., Curren, R., Duineveld, J. J., Di Domenico, S. I., & Ryan, R. M. (2023). The perceived conditions for living well: Positive perceptions of primary goods linked with basic psychological needs and wellness. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18(1), 44-60.
DeHaan, C. R., Hirai, T., & Ryan, R. M. (2016). Nussbaum’s capabilities and self-determination theory’s basic psychological needs: Relating some fundamentals of human wellness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 2037-2049.
Gagné, M., Parent-Rocheleau, X., Bujold, A., Gaudet, M. C., & Lirio, P. (2022). How algorithmic management influences worker motivation: A self-determination theory perspective. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 63(2), 247.
Kachanoff, F. J., Gray, K., Koestner, R., Kteily, N., & Wohl, M. J. (2022). Collective autonomy: Why groups fight for power and status. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 16(1), e12652.
Laporte, N., Soenens, B., Brenning, K., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2021). Adolescents as active managers of their own psychological needs: The role of psychological need crafting in adolescents’ mental health. Journal of Adolescence, 88, 67-83.
Martela, F., Lehmus-Sun, A., Parker, P. D., Pessi, A. B., & Ryan, R. M. (2023). Needs and well-being across Europe: Basic psychological needs are closely connected with well-being, meaning, and symptoms of depression in 27 European countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 14(5), 501-514.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford publications.
Ryan, R. M., Duineveld, J. J., Di Domenico, S. I., Ryan, W. S., Steward, B. A., & Bradshaw, E. L. (2022). We know this much is (meta-analytically) true: A meta-review of meta-analytic findings evaluating self-determination theory. Psychological Bulletin, 148(11-12), 813.
Ryan, R. M., & Weinstein, N. (2009). Undermining quality teaching and learning: A self-determination theory perspective on high-stakes testing. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 224-233.
Su, Y. L., & Reeve, J. (2011). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of intervention programs designed to support autonomy. Educational Psychology Review, 23, 159-188.
Weinstein, N., Hansen, H., & Nguyen, T. V. (2022). Definitions of solitude in everyday life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 01461672221115941.