Autonomy Theory

500-word synopsis: Autonomy and relatedness were focused upon in our most recent workshop on the journal article titled The Importance of Supporting Autonomy and Perceived Competence in Facilitating Long-Term Tobacco Abstinence by Williams, Niemiec, Patrick, Ryan, and Deci. The article described a research study they conducted with a little over a thousand tobacco smokers. Using the ideas fostered in Self-Deturmination theory (SDT) to determine the most beneficial method to reduce the unhealthy habit. Interestingly, the participant group contained both individuals who actively wanted to quit smoking and those who did not.

The research team had four major goals pertaining to the effective treatment conditions. Prediction number one was that SDT would be more effective than normal community care on the matter of increasing the likelihood of a 24 month period of non-smoking. Additionally, hypothesis two stated that the removal of smoking in the long term would be determinate on the level of autonomy felt in the action as well as the level of perceived confidence. Furthermore, the researcher’s third hypothesis was that SDT

Surprising, the messages I got out of the experience are relevant to this topic. The mothers in particular had chosen to birth their baby outside of the hospital and without any trained physicians nearby. They all chose to have their babies at home. I found each of the mothers repeating a similar line to the camera crew about the reason behind the decision to have a child in such an unorthodox and non mainstream manner. Each stated that at the hospital with the births of previous children, they had lost control. Whether in the form of being forced to have procedures or feeling manipulated to do what made them uncomfortable. In a setting of child birth the mother wanted to feel autonomous. They wanted to feel competent in the knowledge of their own