Orientation Styles
Persistent differences in the types of support that individuals receive across various domains of life and specific situations over time may lead to lasting differences in how individuals approach present and future situations, including the manner in which they regulate their emotions and behaviors.
We all experience different levels of support and discouragement across the different environments we inhabit throughout our lives, which can then shape what we pay attention to or need as we move forward. So, we—and our students—are not only responding to what is happening in the moment, but we are also carrying with us past successes and difficulties.
One useful concept for understanding differences in orientation styles is General Causality Orientations, or the characteristic ways in which individuals perceive, organize, and adapt to motivationally relevant information, particularly information related to autonomy, in the environment.
The three types of general causality orientations (Autonomy Orientation, Controlled Orientation, and Impersonal Orientation) reflect an individual’s tendency to attend to and interpret information in their environment as indicating choice, coercion, or a lack of control. In other words, individuals reflexively look for cues in their environment, such as controlling language, external rewards and punishments, or feedback. This also means that different individuals may interpret the same information differently based on their past experiences in similar contexts.
Autonomy Orientation
Autonomy Orientation is the extent to which individuals tend to approach external events as sources of relevant information rather than control, and, therefore, experience greater choice regarding their beliefs, feelings, and behaviors. This orientation is also more likely to produce higher levels of both intrinsic motivation and identified and integrated internalizations–as one would expect when experiencing a greater sense of autonomy (Ryan & Deci, 2018, p. 217).
For example, imagine a student has been assigned a new project. Based on previous experience, including learning in other autonomy-supportive classroom settings, participating in similar projects, and having a history of positive interactions with a particular teacher, this student feels a sense of autonomy and confidence, approaches the project as an interesting challenge, and views the teacher as a mentor and source of help. This might be true even if the student’s choice in this particular project is restricted, such as their choice of topic, and even if external contingencies like grades are present.
Controlled Orientation
Controlled Orientation, in contrast, is the extent to which individuals attend to and experience external rewards and punishments across social contexts. This orientation tends to decrease individuals’ intrinsic motivation, and increase the use of external and introjected regulations when complying with perceived demands (Ryan & Deci, 2018, p. 217).
Let’s return to the example of the student project above. If our imaginary student has previously experienced classroom settings with limited choice, controlling language, invasive monitoring, and heavy reliance on external rewards and punishments, they may interpret the present assignment as, indeed, controlling.
The student may exert some effort to complete the project, but only do the bare minimum of work necessary to avoid getting into trouble or feeling judged. This orientation may be more likely to produce compliance in this particular situation, but less likely to satisfy basic psychological needs, result in true mastery, or support high performance in future academic or career scenarios.
Impersonal Orientation
Impersonal Orientation is the extent to which an individual feels powerless to act, ineffective in overcoming obstacles, or unable to reach their goals. Individuals with this orientation are likely to be amotivated, passive, and feel they lack control over their environments, resulting in self-doubt and helplessness (Ryan & Deci, 2018, p. 218).
Again, we consider the example of a student project. Suppose a student has a history of academic and interpersonal difficulties. They may view any new assignment as yet another opportunity to fail, and may be quick to give up or simply refuse to participate. This passivity and sense of helplessness could even occur in a new situation in which the task is well-matched to the student’s abilities, the student has some degree of choice, and the student receives encouragement from the teacher.
Tendencies, Not Types
Causality orientations, in part, reflect a combination of individuals’ natural dispositions and past experiences. Therefore, supporting students in developing a new, healthier, and more adaptive causality orientation takes time and patience. Also, these orientations reflect tendencies across domains, situations, and relationships, so we can’t necessarily predict exactly how someone will behave at any given time, but we can gather information about how they are likely to act in certain environments.
It is important to note that causality orientations are not meant to categorize types of people. In fact, all individuals demonstrate all of the orientations to some degree, depending on how they remember and view their experiences in particular contexts (Ryan & Deci, 2018, pp. 219-220).
Self-Reflection: Think of times when you felt each of the three orientations above. Now think of how someone looking at you from the outside might have judged you as a person in a particular situation, compared to how you would have seen yourself (as being influenced mostly by prior experiences).
Knowing that orientations are not permanent suggests that even when students exhibit controlled or amotivated styles based on some combination of their biology and social-contextual history, there are still opportunities for educators to prime, if you will, intrinsic motivation and healthy internalization by creating classroom environments that support basic psychological needs satisfaction. This can be both the most exciting and frustrating part of teaching. Educators have an opportunity to change how a student experiences school, even if the student has had negative experiences in the past. However, it also means that you will not necessarily see immediate results from your hard work, as you may only be providing students a foundation for believing in themselves, and for trusting others.
