self-determination-theory

Runs Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination Theory to diagnose why motivation has dropped and what would restore it. The theory's core claim: three innate psychological needs (Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness) drive engagement and wellbeing when met and drive disengagement and ill-being when thwarted. So the question is never "is motivation high or low" but "which need is being thwarted, and how do we support it." Catches the costly default error of treating disengagement as a generic motivation deficit and reaching for a reward or a pep talk, when one specific need is being undermined and only supporting that need will help.

The three needs, the satisfaction-versus-frustration distinction, the controlled-to-autonomous motivation continuum, and the diagnostic prompts live in references/self-determination-theory.md. Load that file before diagnosing and judge each need against it exactly. Do not reproduce any validated instrument's items; use the generic prompts in the reference.

When to use

The user is looking at flagging motivation, disengagement, drift, resistance, or burnout in a person, a role, or a team, and wants to know what is actually driving it and how to turn it around. The unit of analysis is one person or one bounded group in one domain (work, study, a relationship to a task), read for the satisfaction and frustration of the three needs. The user may be assessing their own motivation, in which case the skill can interview them rather than work from secondhand report. Use com-b when the question is the mechanics of one specific behaviour (capability, opportunity, motivation) rather than the deeper quality and sources of someone's motivation. Use scarf when the question is where a specific change or message will land as a social threat. Use psychological-safety for the standing climate of a team rather than the motivation of a person or role. Use okr to set goals once motivation is understood, not to diagnose it.

Language

Conduct the session and write the report in the language the user is writing in. The reference file is English; keep the framework keyed to it regardless of the output language.

Inputs