You're right, I was talking about Self Determination Theory. I just wanted to spend my post directly addressing the OP's concerns as much as possible, rather th

You're right, I was talking about Self Determination Theory. I just wanted to spend my post directly addressing the OP's concerns as much as possible, rather than write several extra paragraphs explaining the theory. "Freedom, Mastery, and Purpose" are also common terms used to explain SDT outside the Psychology community, even though they're not exactly the same as Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness.