The Complex Role of Choice in Human Motivation and Functioning

Years of research have implicated a complex set of motivational causes and consequences of choice. Psychological theory has often prescribed the benefits of choosing, though limitations to this view of choice as being ubiquitously positive are apparent. In this chapter, the relation between choice, motivation, and variety of psychological and behavioral outcomes is examined. The role of choice in human functioning is examined from a variety of perspectives, including psychosocial, cognitive, neurological, and sociocultural perspectives. Next, the complex and often contradictory findings regarding the relation between choice and motivation are discussed in light of various critical characteristics of choices, choosers, and environments likely to influence those effects. The directions that future research might take are briefly discussed.