Control-Value Theory of Academic Emotions and Motivations

    Perceptions of control refer to the extent to which someone believes they can influence their own achievement-related actions and outcomes, such as mastering a topic or achieving the desired grade on an exam. This belief comes from how the individual judges their own competence, their self-efficacy expectations, and what they expect their outcome will be. Perceptions of value refer to how important and/or meaningful someone thinks what they are doing is or will be after achieving the outcome. There are two types of value: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic (activity value) is the built-in enjoyment and interest in the task at hand. Extrinsic (achievement value) is how crucially important the success or failure of that task is. Overall, perception of value describes how much and why someone cares about doing well. Experiencing different levels of perceptions of control allows emotions, such as enjoyment and pride, anxiety and shame, or indifference, to arise. 

    In the past, at the beginning of Grey’s Anatomy (seasons one and two), Meredith perceives low control but high value. As she starts her surgical internship at the hospital, she has a deep desire to become an excellent surgeon, but she feels very uncertain about her competence. Meredith’s perception of control is low because she doubts her ability to succeed on her own, due to her mother’s legacy and the way her mother tells her she is “ordinary.” Another part of her perceiving low control in this part of the show is that the program is extremely competitive, and she feels like there is not much she can do to outperform her peers in the hierarchical environment. However, Meredith does have a high perception of value. Becoming a great surgeon is central to her sense of self and who she is. She wants to help every patient that she can, and she truly values every outcome from surgeries. Meredith’s value for surgery is fueled by external validation. She learns from the ones that do not turn out well and is extraordinarily grateful for the people she does save. So, even though Meredith has some negative feelings surrounding control, her high value keeps her motivation high. This enables her to persevere and continue to put forth her best effort. 

    In the future, during seasons four and five, Meredith’s perceptions of both control and value are high. At this point, she has gained confidence in her surgical skills and developed emotional resilience. Meredith has gone to therapy and worked through her childhood trauma and feels more in control of her actions than she did in the past. Since she recognizes her competence and can save more patients, handle difficult surgeries, and sees how she can influence her own career path, she perceives high control of her situation. Meredith’s perceived value has remained high, but is slightly reframed during this part of the show. Surgery is still a priority in her life and something she deems meaningful, but it is now linked to intrinsic motives. Rather than relying on external validation, Meredith now has a genuine personal passion for medicine, she is not simply trying to prove herself to others. Her high control and high value combination causes her to have optimal motivation, she is driven by mastery and not a fear of failure.