We Know This Much Is (Meta-Analytically) True: A Meta-Review of Meta-Analytic Findings Evaluating Self-Determination Theory

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a theoretical framework for addressing human motivation and wellness that has been actively and increasingly researched over 4 decades. As a cumulative knowledge base, many of SDT's fundamental tenets have been repeatedly examined. We identified 60 meta-analys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological bulletin 2022-11, Vol.148 (11-12), p.813-842
Main Authors: Ryan, Richard M., Duineveld, Jasper J., Di Domenico, Stefano I., Ryan, William S., Steward, Ben A., Bradshaw, Emma L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autonomy
Classification
Frustration
Health care
Human
Hypotheses
Knowledge base
Meta-analysis
Motivation
Parents & parenting
Psychological Needs
Psychological Theories
Self determination
Well being
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Summary:Self-determination theory (SDT) is a theoretical framework for addressing human motivation and wellness that has been actively and increasingly researched over 4 decades. As a cumulative knowledge base, many of SDT's fundamental tenets have been repeatedly examined. We identified 60 meta-analyses that tested many of the propositions of SDT's six mini-theories, other theory-based hypotheses, and SDT's utility in applied domains. In this review, we examine what these meta-analyses establish, highlighting the support they lend to the validity of SDT's motivational taxonomy and its hypotheses regarding the respective effects of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration on well-being and ill-being. Meta-analytic evidence also strongly supports the relevance of SDT for organizations, health care, parenting, and education among other domains, with identifiable gaps in the meta-analytic literature. We conclude by discussing the importance of broad theory and the use of meta-analytic knowledge as scaffolding for further theory and research, albeit with its own methodological limitations. Public Significance Statement This systematic review includes a comprehensive narrative synthesis of 60 meta-analyses, each of which tests various principles from self-determination theory (SDT). Such a review is of broad public significance because SDT has become one of the most widely applied approaches to human motivation and is the basis for interventions in many domains including work and organizations, health care, education, physical activity, and sport, among others.
ISSN:0033-2909
1939-1455
DOI:10.1037/bul0000385