Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review, 2019, Vol. 55, No. 3 412 Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci: Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness New York 2017: Guilford Press, 756 pp. Motivation, a topic that has captured hu- man attention for centuries, has been theo- rised in numerous books. During the last century two different positions of motiva- tion theories have evolved: need (or con- tent) theories and cognitive (or process) theories. Whereas need theories (e.g. from Maslow, Alderfer, or McClelland) focus on internal factors to explain behaviour, cogni- tive theories (like Vroom’s expectancy the- ory or equity theory) make human deci- sions responsible for it [Pratap 2016]. This book criticises the fact that the primary concern of these dominant motivation the- ories is to control human behaviour instead of understanding and describing it, which is what they are aiming to. Additionally, this book distinguishes itself from others because of its different approach to motiva- tion, considering it from the perspective of self-determination. Richard R. Ryan, a pro- fessor of clinical and social science in psy- chology, and Edward L. Deci, a professor of social sciences, both of whom work at the University of Rochester, argue that the ex- tent of self-determination is responsible for the quality and persistence of our actions. This implies our volition and the degree of self-regulation that we experience. The au- thors, like in Maslow’s idea of physiologi- cal needs, assume that three basic psycho- logical needs are responsible for the degree of self-determination: the need for compe- tence, autonomy, and relatedness. The book opens with the theoretical foundations of self-determination theory. Based on Jean Piaget’s perception of organ- isations, Sigmund Freud’s concept of the ego, and Robert W. White’s idea of an inde- pendent ego, Ryan and Deci developed a notable theory over the last decades. They posit that satisfying these three basic psy- chological needs depends on motivation, which is energised by a high level of self- determination. The heart of this book starts in chapter six, where the authors present their theory, split up into six mini-theories, demonstrat- ed in multiple chapters. Deci and Ryan de- scribe intrinsic motivation as a spontane- ous, natural motivation that comes from inside. In the following chapters they add different types of extrinsic motivation (in- tegration, identification, introjection, and external regulation), distinguished by their degree of autonomy. Various examples help to explain their differentiation. The authors demonstrate, for instance, external regulation by imagining an adolescent girl who does not drink alcohol in front of her parents because they would punish her for it. In contrast, if her motivation were intro- jected, she would control herself (e.g. by feeling ashamed for drinking). Deci and Ryan investigate those types of motivation and confirm their assumption that compe- tence, autonomy, and relatedness are es- sential for the quality of behaviour with lots of evidence—for instance, with experi- ments illustrating that free choice shows better performance than control, or with studies that demonstrate the influence of social environments on learning outcomes. The theory defines competence as the feel- ing of being able to solve tasks effectively, autonomy as a situation where behaviour is in line with someone’s own interests, and relatedness as social integration, where others provide a person with the feeling of being part of them. Readers familiar with these elements of the theory can deepen their knowledge by means of mini-theories that describe the importance of social envi- ronments for motivation. Besides a theoretical explanation of their study, the authors also provide an un- derstanding of how their theory can be ap- plied to different domains. Unlike other, exclusively theoretical papers, this part adds value to the book for practitioners. In