Professor Richard Ryan (University of Rochester) visits Loughborough University
on Tuesday 4th October at 11.00am in Stewart Mason SMB 017
Autonomy and the Experience of Self:
Self-determination Theory and Its Implications for Health, Physical Activity and
Wellness
Richard M. Ryan, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Education
Director of Clinical Training, Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology
University of Rochester
The regulation of behavior takes many forms, not all of which have the full support of the self.
Self-determination theory (SDT) distinguishes people’s motivation in terms of the degree to
which is regulated by the self (autonomy) or regulated by forces or dynamics that are
experienced as controlling (heteronomy). Both phenomenological and functional outcomes are
predicted by these distinctions. Furthermore, whether behavioral regulation is autonomous or
controlled is affected by interpersonal and cultural factors, and by the individual’s awareness
and sense of choice with respect to such influences. In this talk Ryan will provide an overview
of SDT’s views of self-regulation, life goals, and societal pressures, with special emphasis on
recent research in the domains of health, physical activity and well-being. He will also
highlight new methods of investigating the importance of autonomy and the effects of social
contexts on human motivation.
Richard M. Ryan, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and a widely published researcher and theorist in the
areas of human motivation, with over 250 articles, chapters and books. He is co-developer (with Edward
Deci) of Self-Determination Theory, an internationally researched theory that has been applied in
hundreds of studies within areas such as development, education, work, relationships, medicine, psychical
activity and cross-cultural psychology. Ryan is also an award winning teacher and researcher, who has
given addresses in over 60 universities worldwide. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological
Association, the American Educational Research Association, and an Honorary Member of the German
Psychological Society. He has been a visiting scientist at the Max Planck Institute, a James McKeen Cattell
Fellow, and he is currently a Leverhulme Fellow and Visiting Professor at the University of Bath. He is
also the Director of Clinical Training in Psychology at the University of Rochester, and an active
psychotherapist. Recent research interests include: the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic life goals on
wellbeing; mindfulness and self-regulation; vitality; and motivation in health care, education, and virtual
environments.
Website for SDT: http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org