Karrie A. Shogren, Ph.D. Michael L. Wehmeyer, Ph.D. The Development of Self-Determination and Autonomy-Supportive Interventions: Part 1 Karrie A. Shogren, Ph.D. Michael L. Wehmeyer, Ph.D.

What is Self-Determination? The philosophical doctrine of determinism posits that actions are caused by events or natural laws that precede or are antecedent to the occurrence of the action. Self-determinism, or self-determination, implies that individuals cause themselves to act in certain ways, as opposed to someone or something else ‘causing’ us to act in certain ways People who are self-determined embody the characteristic or quality of ‘self-determination,’ a noun referring to the degree to which that person acts or behaves in ways that are self- (instead of other-) caused.

What is Self-Determination? Self-Determination is a “…dispositional characteristic manifested as acting as the causal agent in one’s life. Self-determined people (i.e., causal agents) act in service to freely chosen goals. Self-determined actions function to enable a person to be the causal agent in his or her life.” A causal agent is someone who makes or causes things to happen in his or her life. Causal Agency Theory Essential Characteristics Volitional Action Self-initiated actions that function to enable a person to act autonomously (i.e., engage in self-governed action) Agentic Action Enable a person to make progress toward freely chosen goals and respond to opportunities and challenges in their environments Action-Control Beliefs Enable a person to act with self-awareness and self-knowledge in an empowered, goal-directed manner Shogren, K.A., Wehmeyer, M.L., Palmer, S.B., Forber-Pratt, A., Little, T., & Lopez, S. (2015). Causal Agency Theory: Reconceptualizing a functional model of self-determination. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(3), 251-263.

Self-Determined Action Causal Agency Theory Self-Determined Action Volitional Action Autonomy Self-Initiation Agentic Action Pathways Thinking Self-Direction Self-Regulation Action-Control Beliefs Control-Expectancy Psychological Empowerment Self-Realization

Components of Causal Agency Theory

Self-Determined Action Causal Agency Theory Self-Determined Action Volitional Action Autonomy Self-Initiation Agentic Action Pathways Thinking Self-Direction Self-Regulation Action-Control Beliefs Control-Expectancy Psychological Empowerment Self-Realization