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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–3Cite as

The Need for Autonomy

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Synonyms

Agency; Freedom; Perceived choice; Personal causation; Volition

Definition

Autonomy is a critical psychological need. It denotes the experience of volition and self-direction in thought, feeling, and action. It refers to the perception of being self-governed rather than controlled by external forces.

Introduction

Human beings want to make their own decisions, pursue their own goals, and come up with their own ideas. In other words, they want to feel autonomous. According to self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci 2000), which is a broad theory of human motivation and personality, autonomy is one of the three basic psychological needs (along with competence and relatedness) which are necessary for optimal growth and well-being. When people feel autonomous, they perceive their needs, motivations, preferences, and behaviors to be aligned and congruent with one another. In other words, they feel like the directors of their own lives and live according to their own interests...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA

    Lisa Legault

Authors
  1. Lisa Legault
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa Legault .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Christian Jordan

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Legault, L. (2016). The Need for Autonomy. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1120-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1120-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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