Part of the human condition is that we have the ability to doubt ourselves. We can doubt our abilities, our place in social situations, or the results we will get from our efforts.

As such, self-doubt is intimately connected to motivation. There are many definitions of motivation, many of which relate to the desire to act, to initiate a behavior. If we are doubting ourselves, will we be afraid to act?

In the Handbook of Competence and Motivation (2005) by A.J. Elliot and C.S. Dweck, the authors describe motivation as the desire to achieve competence and avoid incompetence. That definition directly links motivation to the often-described three basic psychological needs that all humans share: competence, relatedness, and autonomy. From this perspective, if we doubt our abilities, will it get in the way of competence and leave us mired in feelings of incompetence?

At least half of........

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