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Goals & Organization

Three Views of the Agentic Self: A Developmental Synthesis Todd D. Little Key Collaborators: Patricia H. Hawley Southern Connecticut State University Christopher C. Henrich and Katherine Marsland Yale University. Organismic Model of Human Nature. SDT. ACT. RCT. Goals & Organization.

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Goals & Organization

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  1. Three Views of the Agentic Self: A Developmental SynthesisTodd D. LittleKey Collaborators:Patricia H. HawleySouthern Connecticut State University Christopher C. Henrich and Katherine MarslandYale University

  2. Organismic Model of Human Nature SDT ACT RCT Goals & Organization • Integrate Three Seemingly Disparate Theories • Self-Determination Theory (i.e., Deci & Ryan, 1980 to date) • Action-Control Theory (e.g., Little, 1998; Brandtstaedter, 1998) • Resource-Control Theory (Hawley, 1999) • Highlight Some Developmental Aspects of the Agentic Self

  3. The Little Engine that Could Puff, Puff, Chug, Chug, went the Little Blue Engine. “I think I can-- I think I can-- I think I can…” -Watty Piper (1930)

  4. Organismic Metatheory • Behavior is seen as volitional and goal-directed action • Individuals are inherently active and self-regulating • Actions are purposive, planful, and self-initiated • Development is predominantly self-guided • One gives form and meaning to actions along the way • Actions result from selective choices that emanate primarily from the individual • Research focuses on • Inter-individual differences • Intra-individual differences • sub-types or sub-groups of individuals • contextual influences (see e.g., Gariepy, 1996; Little, in press; Overton, 1984, Reese, 1991)

  5. Mechanistic Metatheory Stimulus-Response, Stimulus-Response. Don't you ever think?

  6. Organismic Metatheory • Mechanisms of change include • Assimilation • Accommodation • Equilibration • Schema formation • Hierarchical integration • And so on… • Guiding Developmental principles include • Homotypic vs heterotypic expressions • Surface-structure vs deep-structure roots of behavior • Different paths can lead to same outcome • Same path can lead to different outcomes • And so on…

  7. Organismic Goal Attainment:Achieving an Intimate Relationship Young 18-39 Mid-age 40-59 Older-age 60 and up

  8. 2 2 Control Expectancy Comparative Control 1 1 Social Social 0 0 Personal Personal -1 -1 Societal Predicted Mean Rating and Standard Errors -2 -2 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2 2 Societal Social 1 1 Social Personal 0 0 Personal Control Striving -1 Goal Importance -1 -2 -2 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Age-Cohort Age-Cohort Control Judgments across the Life Span & Societal Societal From Grob, Little, & Wanner, 1999

  9. Needs and Their Origins • The Need for Competence • Negotiating and effecting one’s environment • Has a direct evolutionary basis • The Need for Relatedness • Close emotional bond with another individual • Has a direct evolutionary basis • The Need for Autonomy • Being the origin of one’s own behavior • Byproduct of higher cortical activity • Resource Control Theory • Acquiring and utilizing material and social resources • Necessary for survival and reproduction of individual

  10. What is Agency? • Agents act, we are agents • We have needs and goals • We also have motives, wants, & desires • We have intentions and are volitional in our actions • We interpret & evaluate our actions and their consequences • From our actions (actual & symbolic), we learn: • Contingencies (personal, general, environmental) • Personal beliefs about own capabilities • Agency is a sense of personal empowerment • Knowing what it takes and whether one's got it

  11. REGULATORY STYLES: Amotivation Extrinsic motivation Intrinsic motivation External regulation Introjection Identification Integration Impersonal External Somewhat External Somewhat Internal Internal Internal Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation ASSOCIATED PROCESSES: • Perceived non-contingency • Low perceived competence • Non-relevance • Non-intentionality • Salience of extrinsic rewards or punishments • Compliance/ Reactance • Ego involvement • Focus on approval from self and others • Conscious valuing of activity • Self-endorsement of goals • Hierarchical synthesis of goals • Congruence • Interest & Enjoyment • Inherent satisfaction PERCEIVED LOCUS OF CAUSALITY: From: Ryan & Deci (in press)

  12. Differentiation of Resource Control Strategies Prosocial strategies emerge over time. Coercion Coercion Coercion Prosociality Prosociality Years 1 to 3 Years 4 to 7 Years 8 to 11 (Hawley, 1999a, 1999b)

  13. Types of Children “Social Dominants” Coercive Bistrategic Coercive Control Typical Prosocial Subordinate Prosocial Control (Hawley, Little, & Pasupathi, 2000)

  14. Social Motivations by Type (Hawley, Little, & Pasupathi, 2000)

  15. Social and Personal Consequences by Type (Hawley, Little, & Pasupathi, 2000)

  16. Means Means Agency Beliefs General Agency Beliefs Causality Beliefs Strategy Beliefs Agent Agent Control Expectancy Goal Goal General Control Expectancy Means can include, for example: effort, ability, luck, teachers, parents, peers, looks, etc. (Little, 1998) Action-Control Beliefs Me Others

  17. The Development of Agency Autonomy Competence Relatedness Action-Control Beliefs; Intra-agent Means Action-Control Beliefs; Extra-agent Means Volitional / Goal- directed Activity; Material and Social Resources Agency (Little, Hawley, Henrich, & Marsland, in press)

  18. How They Come Together Self-Determination Resource-Control Action-Control

  19. Conclusions • Integrating these and other organismic perspectives on behavior suggest novel foci for research • Personality types (e.g., Bistrats) • Understanding the Agentic self requires a contextual approach • Interpersonal contexts (e.g., dominance) • Life-course contexts (e.g., retirement)

  20. Have low aspirations Feel helpless when challenged Hindered by problem solving blinders Perform poorly Accept failures Have greater ill-being Have little sense of personal empowerment Have high aspirations Persist in the face of obstacles See more and varied options Perform well Learn from failures Have greater well-being Have a greater sense of personal empowerment Nonagentic vs. Agentic Profiles Nonagentic Profile Agentic Profile

  21. Acquiring a sense of Personal Agency • Direct Experiences • Successes and failures • Performance Feedback • teachers, parents, peers, & self • Direct Instruction • teachers, parents, peers, & self • Vicarious Observations • TV, at school, work, local Seven-Eleven, family • Social Comparisons • veridical opportunities, upwards, downwards • Emotional Reactions • feelings or rejection/acceptance, reprimands • Symbolic Actions • personal thoughts, interpretations, rehearsals of actions

  22. Personality and Social Skills by Type (Hawley, Pasupathi, & Little, 1999)

  23. Low Personal Agency

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