Edward L. Deci (/ˈdiːsi/;[1] born 1942[2]) is a professor of Psychology and Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Rochester, and director of its Human Motivation Program.

[citation needed] Edward L. Deci was born in October of 1942 in Palmyra, New York.

He then studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned his Master of Business Administration from there in 1967.

Deci went on to earn his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University in social psychology in 1970.

[4] Self-determination theory is a macro theory of human motivation that differentiates between autonomous and controlled forms of motivation; the theory has been applied to predict behavior and inform behavior change in many contexts including: education, health care, work organizations, parenting, and sport (as well as many others).