The Internalization Process

Internalization is the internal psychological process through which a value, belief, or behavioral regulation from an external source, such as one’s family, community, or culture, is assimilated, to some degree, with other inherent or deeply internalized values, beliefs, or behaviors (Ryan & Deci, 2018, pp. 180 & 182). 

Internalization is what makes socialization truly effective by ensuring that widely valued behavioral regulations continue to be enacted even without constant monitoring or enforcement. In fact, internalizing socially endorsed extrinsic motivations is something humans naturally do. When regulatory demands are appropriately matched with emerging developmental capacities, effective internalization of cultural values and behaviors can occur, which allows young people to feel competent and connected to others like relatives, teachers, and peers. 

The more integrated a value or regulation becomes, the more likely it will be experienced by an individual as self-endorsed and autonomous. Internalization is also important for identity formation (figuring out who you are and want to be), which is greatly influenced by individuals’ attempts to satisfy needs for autonomy, competence, and belonging. Although internalization and identity formation are lifelong processes, they become particularly salient during adolescence, a period of heightened self-consciousness and acceptance seeking, when individuals are especially vulnerable to both real and imagined external social pressures from peers, parents, teachers, and others (Ryan & Deci, 2018, p. 384).