The experiences of community-service clinical psychologists: a self-determination theory perspective

Abstract

This study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of community-service clinical psychologists from a self-determination perspective. The Self-Determination Theory served as a theoretical lens in understanding the motivation of community-service clinical psychologists. A qualitative multiple-case study design was used to gather rich information from participants regarding their motivation. Through the use of purposive sampling and subsequent snowball sampling, six participants were obtained. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant, and each individual interview was transcribed by the researcher. The transcribed interviews were analysed by thematic analysis, and themes and sub-themes were generated. Findings of the research included the experiences of the participants and how these experiences related to the three basic psychological needs indicated in the Self-Determination Theory, namely autonomy, relatedness and competence. In terms of autonomy, participants highlighted taking responsibility for the successful completion of their community service despite numerous challenges. Pertaining to relatedness, participants highlighted the importance of support from significant others as a source of motivation. Regarding competence, participants highlighted the importance of receiving support from friends, family and colleagues as a source of motivation. The study concluded that in order to persevere in challenging situations, an individual must have intrinsic motivation. The successful completion of the research participants’ community-service year can be used as evidence for this conclusion.