Personal Causation

DEVELOPERS

Richard deCharms (built on work by Heider and Brehm), work by Richard Ryan and Ed Deci builds on deCharms’

BACKGROUND:

The essence of the theory of personal causation is that “man is the origin of his behavior” (deCharms, 1968, p. 272). That is to say, people are that human behavior arises from the individual, and that people strive to remain in control of their own behavior. deCharms argued that people are “ constantly struggling against being confined and constrained by external forces – against being moved about like a pawn into situations not of his own choosing” (p. 273). deCharms distinguished between the state of being free – “Origin” and the state of being under another’s control “Pawn”. According to deCharms, “An Origin is a person who perceived his behavior as determined by his own choosing; a Pawn is a person who perceived his behavior as determined by external forces beyond his control (p. 274).

In his research with students and teachers, deCharms found that teachers and students who received training about how to be an Origin would be better motivators and have more motivation (1977). His strategy involved training teachers to see all students as having the potential to be an Origin and to provide meaningful choice so that student could exercise what he calls the “Origin sequence,” which consists of “plan-choose-act-take responsibility” (1977, p. 298). Many more contemporary scholars, including Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, have built upon the concept of personal causation.

RECOMMENDATIONS/APPLICATIONS:

The concept of personal causation, as developed by deCharms, is a somewhat difficult to grasp and perhaps to apply, but it does have some useful applications in the information field. The idea that people strive to feel in control of their own actions is powerful, and can be applied in the library/information environment. Logical extensions of this concept include providing choice and clear instructions for a variety of formats and tools in the library. For instance, allowing children to chose from among print and electronic resources for research activities, or allowing students to produce a paper or a website as the product of research. For adults in the workplace, the theory implies that it is imperative to give workers the opportunity to have some control over their activities.

deCharms’ work showed that it was possible to increase peoples’ perceptions of themselves as Origins through training. This has important implications for motivating people in any environment. deCharms’ model “plan-choose-act-take responsibility” could easily be integrated into an information literacy curriculum. The emphasis on taking responsibility for one’s work is an especially good fit with the issues surrounding plagiarism and academic integrity.

REFERENCES ~ Coding Spreadsheet - Web View

Deci, Edward L. Why We Do What We Do. NY: Penguin Books, 1995.

Brennan, M. B. (1982). To charm, to strengthen, and to teach: A consideration of implications for teacher education in the deCharms’ model of Origins and Pawns. Educational Leadership 40(1), 53.

deCharms, R. (1976). Enhancing motivation: Change in the classroom. New York, NY: Irvington

deCharms, R. (1992). Personal causation and the origin concept. In C. P. Smith (Ed.), Motivation and personality: Handbook of thematic content analysis (pp. 325-333). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Abstract: deCharms describes the relationship between personal causation and the origin concept. This article precedes an article by deCharms and Plimpton that describes the Origin scoring system.

deCharms, R. (1972). Personal causation training in the schools. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 2(2), 95-13. Abstract: Elementary school teachers were trained in personal causation theory and subsequently designed and implemented classroom exercises for their middle grade classes. The study showed that personal causation training increased teachers’ and students’ motivation and improved students’ academic achievement. Students also showed an increase in self-perception as Origins.

deCharms, R. (1977). Students need not be pawns. Theory Into Practice 16(4), 296-301. Abstract: Teachers who are trained in the Origins and Pawns theory can create opportunities for students to increase their self-perception as Origins. Methods for teaching the Origins sequence, creating meaningful choices and incorporating student influence into the classroom.

deCharms, R. & Plimpton, F. (1992). The origin scoring system. In C. P. Smith (Ed.), Motivation and personality: Handbook of thematic content analysis (pp. 334-375). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Abstract: Instructions for scoring an individual on the Origin scale. The scoring system includes two components: goal-setting and responsibility. Categories include goal setting, instrumental activity, reality perception, self-confidence, and personal causation. Detailed instructions and practice stories for scoring.

Reich, J. W. & Zatura, A. (1981). Life events and personal causation: Some relationships with satisfaction and distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 41(5), 1002-1012. Abstract: An exploration of the relations between an individual’s feeling of personal causation and happiness. College students were studied to measure the impact of engaging in pleasurable activities on general mental health and happiness in relation to prior negative events.

Ryan, R. M. and Grolnick, W. S. (1986). Origins and Pawns in the classroom: Self-report and projective assessments of individual differences in children’s perceptions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50(3), 550-558. Abstract: The authors analyze the results of two studies of children in the classroom. The studies examined children’s feelings of autonomy and perceptions of classroom climate in relation to self-esteem, cognition, self-control and achievement. A positive correlation between the two was found.

Westbrook, M. T. and Viney, L. L. (1980). Scales measuring people’s perception of themselves as Origins and Pawns. Journal of Personality Assessment 44(2), 167-74.