Edward L. Deci

Edward L. Deci is a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, and director of its human motivation program. He is notable for his early work on subjective feelings of competence and autonomy, and their relation to what he terms 'intrinsic motivation', or people's desire to perform activities or jobs as ends in themselves, rather than as means to an end. He has done important work developing Self-Determination Theory

Papers

 * Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
 * Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). "The 'what' and 'why' of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior." Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268.
 * Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). "Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being." American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.