Motivation in the elderly: A theoretical framework and some promising findings.

Despite a widespread concern with the well-being of elderly people, very little is known about the motivation behind everyday behaviours in old age. In this paper a theoretical framework that has been found useful in research on young adults is suggested as a promising direction for research on the psychology of motivation in the elderly. This framework (Deci & Ryan, 1985a) posits the existence of four types of motivation (intrinsic, self-determined extrinsic, nonself-determined extrinsic, and amotivation) which are assumed to have a number of consequences for adaptation and well-being. After presenting the theory, we review findings from an ongoing research program that has found that the four types of motivation can be reliably measured and are related to other important aspects of the lives of elderly people in a theoretically meaningful manner. Suggestions are made for further research and for potential applications.