Organismic Integration Theory

When looking into Self Determination Theory, we see two sub-theories that underline whether someone is intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. One is Cognitive Evaluation Theory and the other is Organismic Integration Theory (OIT). In this post I will focus on the latter, OIT. When looking at why someone has a specific motivation, whether that be intrinsic or extrinsic, Deci and Ryan (2000) state that to find one's motivation or behavior, we must look at a continuum with amotivation (non-self determined) at one end and intrinsic motivation (self-determined) at the other. In between the amotivation and intrinsic motivation, there are four categories falling along the continuum; external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and integrated regulation. The first mode of motivation, external regulation, is when the person ultimately has no say in whether they want to participate in an activity. Introjected regulation is when a person only chooses to participate in an activity because of outsiders. Next is identified regulation, which is when a person identifies with an activities' implication and carries out the behavior or activity because they see it as beneficial. Finally, integrated regulation is when someone fully identifies with an activity or behavior because it is inline with their personal value system.

June, our main character from The Handmaid's Tale, appears to exhibit external regulation when she is first introduced into the newly (forced) society of Gilead. Whenever June is spoken to by anyone, she must reply with 'proper' phrases, such as "under his eye," "blessed be the fruit," "may the lord open," "praise be," as well as other religious phrases. June constantly expresses her distaste and lack of conviction with these phrases, she is forced to say, from her internal dialogue she shares with us. During the ritualistic ceremonies that are held in the house of every handmaid, is the dreaded raping of the handmaid by the man of the house. June, though she has no other choice, has to act like she 'wants' the ceremony in order to create a baby, though she despises it more than anything. Though it is debatable, I would say this is a mix between external and introjected regulation, because June ultimately has no choice in whether or not to participate in the ceremony, though she has to appear to choose to participate in the ceremony.

June From the Handmaid's Tale

Hello all! 

Welcome to my motivational analysis of June from the T.V. series The Handmaid's Tale. June, the main character of the series, battles not only with her everyday environment and the government, but also with her physical and psychological freedom in the totalitarian society of Gilead. With every episode, June is forced to adapt to living as a handmaid, whose only need in the society of Gilead is to be ritually raped by the man who owns her, while his wife assists in act. In this dystopian world where fertility rates have plummeted due to pollution and STD's, the religious society Gilead believes that women who are fertile, are only needed to bear children. June, along with many other women who tried to escape the grasp of Gilead militia, when the Gilead government rose to power after a civil war, were captured and assigned to a hierarchical household. The children of those women were sent to live with "new" families never to return to their mothers or leave Gilead. 

As each episode and season continues, we see June, handmaids, Marthas ( infertile women who were captured and are forced to cook and clean), and some unexpected Gilead doctors and government officials, devise plans and tactics to escape and overcome the Gilead totalitarianism, with June as their leader. Triumphing at times and failing at others, June's efforts to rescue her daughter and others who have been captured, reveals a realistic and dramatic development of June's character, which is why I chose June for my character analysis.

Over the course of this semester, I will explore and analyze June's motivation and emotion for why and how she comes to be a maverick among the Gilead government.