UPCOMING: 9th conference on self-determination theory
Information👂 Everyone⏲️ June 29 – July 3, 2026📍 Geneva, Switzerland🗣️ English☑️ Registration is required
Centre for Developmental and Motivational Psychology
Welcome to the website of the Centre for Developmental and Motivational Psychology, a research group within the Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University. Read more about our mission and vision here.
News
Events
In the picture
Ed Deci (1942 - 2026): A Tribute
Written by Maarten Vansteenkiste:
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Prof. Dr. Edward Deci on Valentine’s Day. Ed was an inspiring leader in the field of motivational psychology and, together with Prof. Dr. Richard Ryan, co-founder of Self-Determination Theory. This strongly empirically supported theory is grounded in a growth-oriented view of human nature and examines the processes that enable people to fully flourish."
Parenting Towards 2045: Experts Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens Share Their Insights
The world around us is changing rapidly, raising new questions for families. We live in a time of major societal challenges. Economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and the climate crisis make the future feel unstable and unpredictable for both parents and young people. How can we guide the next generations toward the world of 2045? Comon spoke with developmental psychologist Bart Soenens and motivational psychologist Maarten Vansteenkiste from Ghent University.
Read the full interview (in Dutch)
Disrespectful, Narcissistic, and Fragile Like Snowflakes: Harmless Views on Today’s Youth—or Not?
In many contemporary debates about parenting and education, negative views about today’s youth and how they are raised continue to circulate. To explain behavioral problems at school, some argue that young people no longer respect authority. Due to overly permissive parenting, they are said to reject rules and behave more disrespectfully and rudely.
Read the full blog (in Dutch)Research areas
Education
Within the domain of Education, we investigate how motivation and well-being of pupils, students, teachers, and lecturers develop, and how these can be sustainably supported. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we examine the role of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence in learning processes, achievement, and psychological well-being. Our research spans all levels of education (from primary to higher education) and focuses on both learners and the professionals who guide them. We combine large-scale survey research with experimental studies to better understand which educational environments strengthen motivation, reduce stress, and promote enjoyment of learning.
Society and Security
Within the domain of Society and Security, we study the psychological foundations of justice, compliance, and trust in social institutions. Our research examines how people experience the law, rules, and authority, and to what extent these experiences contribute to feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We focus on young people and adults across a wide range of contexts, from police encounters and detention to situations of societal uncertainty, and investigate how autonomy-supportive forms of authority foster internally motivated rule compliance and contribute to societal well-being.
Relationships
Within the domain of Relationships, we examine how positive and supportive relationships contribute to motivation, development, and well-being across adolescence and adulthood. We focus on changes in parent–child relationships and the growing importance of friends and romantic partners, and on how these close bonds come to serve as sources of relatedness and emotional support. Additionally, we study the conditions under which mutual support within partner relationships is motivating, as well as when providing support or physical assistance may instead become burdensome for one or both partners, for example in the context of chronic pain. Through large-scale and longitudinal research, we aim to better understand which relational environments foster psychological well-being and sustainable relationship quality.
Parenting and Family
Within the domain of Parenting and Family, we investigate how parents, as primary socialization agents, can foster or hinder the development of children, adolescents, and young adults. Through their parenting practices, parents play a crucial role in their children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Our research is grounded in a transactional perspective, in which parent–child interactions are viewed as reciprocal processes: children actively interpret and respond to parental behavior, which in turn influences parents’ parenting practices. We employ diverse methodological approaches, ranging from diary studies to large-scale longitudinal research, to capture these dynamics. In addition, we address broader themes such as parental well-being and the development of a parental identity, with the aim of gaining insight into how a supportive family context can promote motivation, relatedness, and psychological well-being.
Climate and Nature
Within the domain of Climate and Nature, our research focuses on the psychological drivers of sustainable behavior and ecological engagement. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we examine how people make sense of their relationship with nature and which types of motivation lead to enduring and genuine environmental engagement. In doing so, we study both personal life goals (such as growth and prosperity) and cultural contexts to understand why some individuals make lasting behavioral changes, while others disengage.
Religion and Spirituality
Within the domain of Religion and Spirituality, we investigate how religious beliefs and practices are intertwined with identity development, parenting, motivation, and psychological well-being. We examine these dynamics across different life stages and contexts, from childhood to adulthood, and map both protective factors, such as meaning-making, relatedness, and social support, and risk factors, including guilt and social pressure. Our aim is to understand how religious and spiritual practices foster personal growth, shape social relationships, and influence parenting practices, and how these processes contribute to resilience and well-being.
Physical Activity
Within the domain of Physical Activity, we investigate how athletes’ motivation and well-being can be supported in a sustainable way. Our research spans all levels of sport, from recreational participation to elite sport, and focuses not only on athletes themselves but also on key figures in their environment, such as parents, coaches, and club administrators. We combine questionnaire-based research with experimental studies to identify which behaviors enhance motivation, well-being, and performance, and which should be avoided. In addition, we examine the beliefs, contextual factors, and social dynamics that lead significant others in the sporting environment to adopt motivating or demotivating behaviors toward athletes.
Health
Within the domain of Health, our research focuses on the psychological processes that determine why people make healthy or unhealthy choices, how they cope with illness, and what influences their motivation and well-being in times of physical or societal threat. Our research spans a wide range of contexts, from chronic pain and sleep to pandemic-related behavioral measures and mental health among students and parents, and employs experimental, longitudinal, and cross-national designs. We integrate motivational process models with societal and clinical applications, ranging from interventions for patients to communication guidelines for health policy.
Psychopathology
Within the domain of Psychopathology, we describe, explain, and categorize mental disorders, such as anxiety, mood, and personality disorders, and investigate their causes, symptoms, and treatments. In addition, we study how vulnerability and resilience develop and how psychological well-being can be sustainably supported. Our research focuses on different life stages—from adolescence to adulthood—and examines both risk factors and protective factors in identity development, emotion regulation, and interpersonal relationships.
Social Media and Gaming
Within the domain of Social Media and Gaming, we investigate how media use affects young people’s well-being and school functioning. We examine both positive and negative effects, and identify the factors that lead to problematic use among some adolescents, as well as those that enable others to flourish and develop a strong identity through media. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we explore how the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, in both online and offline contexts, is associated with the impact of media use. In addition, we pay attention to the role of smartphone restrictions at school and to parental communication about media use, such as rules regarding gaming and social media content.
Work and Organizations
Within the domain of Work and Organizations, we examine how employees’ motivation and well-being develop, how these factors influence their functioning, and how work environments can foster and sustainably support them. In addition, we focus on the motivation and behavior of job seekers: how can they be optimally guided throughout the job-search process, and what role do work-related values and norms play in this guidance? Our goal is to provide insight into how organizations and support practices can contribute to resilience, engagement, and sustainable careers.
Psychotherapy and Counseling
Within the domain of Psychotherapy and Counseling, we investigate how clients’ motivation and psychological well-being develop and how these can be strengthened in a sustainable way. Our research spans diverse contexts, ranging from individual therapy to group-based and online interventions, and focuses on both clients and the professionals who support them. We examine factors such as communication, relationship quality, autonomy support, and innovative intervention formats to better understand how psychotherapy and counseling contribute to greater resilience, reduced stress, higher treatment adherence, and improved psychological well-being. We translate these insights into practice and policy through the development of guidelines and practical tools.
Research topics
Basic Psychological Needs
Within the domain of Psychological Basic Needs, we examine how the satisfaction and frustration of the needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence shape people’s functioning and well-being. Autonomy refers to experiencing choice and acting in line with one’s values, relatedness to feeling connected and having meaningful relationships, and competence to experiencing effectiveness and capability. We study how these needs are supported or thwarted across contexts such as work, education, relationships, and digital environments, and how this relates to motivation, performance, and psychological well-being. To do so, we combine large-scale surveys with experimental and diary studies to identify the social and contextual factors that foster environments in which people can optimally grow and develop.
Emotion regulation
Within the domain of Emotion Regulation, we examine how children, adolescents, and young adults learn to cope with emotions, and which factors influence these processes. We study the role of attachment, autonomy support, and contextual stressors in the development of adaptive and maladaptive regulation strategies. In addition, we focus on the strategies that children, adolescents, and adults use to manage challenging situations. Our research combines diary studies with experimental methods to understand how emotion regulation relates to psychological well-being and vulnerability to depressive symptoms. With these insights, we aim to contribute to interventions that help children, adolescents, and adults cope resiliently with life’s challenges.
Internalization
Within the domain of Internalization, we investigate how people come to take ownership of values, norms, and activities. Within Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this process plays a central role, as it determines how motivation develops: from amotivation (no internalization), through controlled motivation (experiencing pressure, partial internalization), to autonomous motivation (engaging in an activity because it is personally meaningful or enjoyable, full internalization). Our research focuses on understanding and supporting this process, using large-scale survey research and intervention studies to identify which contextual factors (such as parents and teachers) and personal characteristics contribute to optimal internalization.
Intrinsic Motivation
Within the domain of Intrinsic Motivation, we investigate how this fully internalized form of motivation, often described as a strong inner drive or eagerness, emerges and how it can be strengthened. Intrinsically motivated individuals engage in activities because they find them enjoyable and interesting, rather than to achieve an external goal. Intrinsic motivation is associated with a wide range of positive outcomes, such as greater well-being and higher performance. Within our research group, we examine how intrinsic motivation can be stimulated, for example through motivating teaching styles or a supportive and enriching work environment. In addition, we develop and test interventions that help individuals strengthen their own intrinsic motivation.
Awareness and Mindfulness
Within the domain of Awareness and Mindfulness, we investigate how people become aware of their inner experiences and actively engage with their psychological needs. In our research, we view mindfulness not merely as a technique, but as an attitude of openness and autonomy that helps individuals align their behavior with their values and needs. Our research focuses on adolescents, parents, and adults, and integrates insights from developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and motivational psychology. We explore how being attentively present in the moment contributes to coping, resilience, sleep quality, and mental well-being, and how people can actively craft their psychological needs, that is, consciously shape them, in everyday life.
Cross-Cultural
Within the domain of Cross-Cultural research, we examine how fundamental psychological processes, such as basic psychological needs and motivation, manifest across different cultures and societal contexts. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we investigate whether basic psychological needs are universal, and how cultural values such as individualism, collectivism, and hierarchy shape the ways in which people experience and satisfy these needs. Our research combines large-scale survey data with a focus on parenting, work, education, and mental health, and systematically examines how autonomy support and psychological need satisfaction contribute to well-being—not only in Western contexts, but also in Eastern and Global Southern contexts.
Goals, Ambitions, and Identity
Within the domain of Goals, Ambitions, and Identity, we investigate how people develop and what helps them grow, adapt, and feel well across different life stages. We study processes such as identity formation, emotion regulation, and motivation, and examine how the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence contributes to well-being and resilience. In addition to growth, we also investigate the factors that make people vulnerable to stress and mental health problems, both in the general population and in more at-risk groups. Our research spans the entire lifespan, with particular attention to adolescents and young adults, a crucial period for identity development.
Personality
Within the domain of Personality, we investigate how individual differences in traits and dynamics develop and how they relate to well-being, relationships, and behavior. From a lifespan perspective, we study both stable traits and processes of change, and examine the role of contextual factors such as parenting, social relationships, and life events. Our work is grounded in theoretical frameworks such as the Big Five and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Our research spans multiple life stages, from childhood to adulthood, and focuses on both typical and atypical developmental patterns.
Vitality and Energy
Within the domain of Vitality and Energy, we study vitality as an important indicator of psychological well-being. Vitality refers to the subjective experience of energy, liveliness, and enthusiasm that individuals have available for their daily activities. It reflects a sense of inner strength that is motivating and energizing. We examine how the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, autonomy, relatedness, and competence, contributes to vitality, as well as how need frustration can undermine energy and well-being. Vitality is studied across diverse contexts and populations, including students at school, adolescents in daily life, athletes, individuals with chronic fatigue, and (expectant) parents.
Self and Self-Worth
Within the domain of Self andSelf-Worth, we examine how people build, maintain, and sometimes experience pressure on their sense of self-worth. We study both stable aspects of self-concept and more vulnerable forms of self-worth that depend on external validation or performance. We explore how different contexts, such as the parenting environment, school, peer relationships, and sport coaching, contribute to healthy, stable self-worth, or instead give rise to conditional forms of self-valuation. Such conditional regard, for example in the form of parental or social pressure, can lead to stress, perfectionism, and burnout.
Neuropsychological and Biological
Within the domain of Neuropsychological and Biological research, we investigate how fundamental psychological processes, such as motivation, emotion regulation, and need satisfaction, are related to the biological and cognitive mechanisms that drive human behavior. We integrate insights from developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and biology to better understand how the brain and body respond to need satisfaction or need frustration. Our research addresses topics such as autism spectrum conditions, sleep, stress responses, parental control, and competence restoration in children, adolescents, and adults. This multidisciplinary approach combines behavioral observation, experimental studies, physiological measures, and questionnaires to bridge the gap between biological vulnerability and psychological growth.
Cognition
Within the domain of Cognition, we investigate how people process, retain, and apply information in learning and developmental processes. We study core processes such as memory, attention, and thinking strategies, and analyze how these interact with motivation and psychological functioning. In addition, we explore how cognitive mechanisms, such as autobiographical memory, attention, focus, and expectations, contribute either to resilience or to vulnerability to psychological difficulties. Our goal is to gain insight into the dynamic interplay between cognitive processes and well-being, and to translate this knowledge into recommendations that promote learning, adaptability, and mental well-being.
Disability
Within the domain of Disability, we investigate how psychosocial development and (parent–child) relationships take shape among individuals with a disability. Our research focuses on children, adolescents, and adults with a disability, as well as on their immediate social context. We place particular emphasis on key life domains such as parenting, well-being, school functioning, and eating behavior. Our work combines large-scale (longitudinal) studies with intervention research, and employs qualitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of individuals with a disability and those around them. In doing so, we not only identify general patterns, but also give space to individual stories and perspectives.