Week 4: Understanding Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET)

 

Cognitive Evaluation Theory

 

 

    CET is one of the two paradigms contained in Self-Determination Theory, a model that explains internal motivation and its moderating factors. It discusses how eternal events can affect internal intrinsic motivation. CET focuses on relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Autonomy relates to the feeling that choices are made due to one’s own will and desires. Competence means one has the ability to accomplish a difficult goal. Finally, relatedness means one has people that support one’s endeavors and self. Having all three factors would lead to intrinsic motivation. On other hand, any negative effects on those three will lead to degeneration of motivation. For example, events that promote greater perceived competence will increase internal motivations; getting good grades in a challenging test will increase the motivation to take other tests. On other hand, getting a bad grade will do the opposite. The informational aspect of this theory is key, as it ascribes or dissociates internal causality and control to events.

 

Castiel and CET

 

    Cass has his goals influenced by CET. In a paradigm of intrinsic motivation, the behavior being performed is its own reward. This can be seen through the entire arc of Castiel. At first, the reward he receives is the reinforcement of his self-image as the vessel of heaven. His identity's integrity is the intrinsic motivation for all his actions. Later, the intrinsic motivation becomes the very opposite: he makes choices just because he can. Now, as the fallen angel, as the guardian angel of Team Free Will, every choice he makes is a testament to the reality of his position (challenging the determinism of Heaven); every choice he makes proves that he is right, just because he made it.

    Notably, Cass persists in maintaining his resolve of exercising his independence, despite all other angels accusing him of being insane, of being a fallen one, like Lucifer. To show the tremendous quintessence of this, Cass maintains his independent position even when his friend, Uriel, exercises his own perverted version of free will and murders angels. Instead of practicing free will for a noble and empowering cause, instead of continuing to serve others as a proper angel should, Uriel tries to amass his own army. He kills those that do not bow to him. Cass confronts him; not to protect Dean (this time), not to advance his own agenda, but because the sanctity of Free Will must be respected.

 

Detractions

    Even the champion of team Free Will can falter at times. Cass experiences lack of intrinsic motivation when he lacks relatedness, competence, and autonomy.

    Cass severs his relatedness with Dean when he becomes a demon. Dean takes in the Mark of Cain. The mark gives him tremendous power, more than enough to destroy the principal knight of hell, Abaddon. Gradually, the mark takes over Dean’s psyche and he develops an implacable blood lust. He starts with getting into a lot of fights, then he murders enemies that wanted to kill him. Finally, he just indiscriminately seeks out and murders his enemies. This blood lust changes Dean and costs him his friendship with Cass. More than that, he becomes a literal Demon. This arc culminates with a fight between Demon Dean and Cass. Dean is so roided out on the Mark that he is able to beat Cass, an archangel. Cass looks broken, withing as much as without, and he tells Dean to kill him. He rather die than be stuck in eternity watching his best friend be a demon and be corrupted by the mark. Seeing Cass at this point is the perfect illustration for lack of intrinsic motivation, for the lack of all motivation.

 

    Cass is very powerful, but when he loses his powers, he becomes so unmotivated that he turns into a hippie. In an alternative timeline, Cass is not able to prevent the Apocalypse. Due to his failure, Satan rules the world and Heaven is dead. Because his power comes from Heaven, Cass loses the bulk of his power. Distraught and without any motivation, he hides in a hippie colony of survivors. He uses his limited powers to become a sort of spiritual leader and guru to the few humans left. This is not a continuation of his mission. He is actually using his wisdom to get followers to have orgies with him…..and he is high on so many drugs all day. The perfect picture of an unhinged archangel who lacks motivation due to his failures.

    Ironically, even the angel of autonomy can find himself bound. When he assimilates the souls of purgatory in order to grow in power, Cass also incorporates the Leviathans into himself. They are so formidably powerful that they overcome Castiel’s will and begin to control him. They influence his personality at first and make him a megalomaniac. But later, they physically and mentally control him, to the point of possession by Leviathan. He is so broken, he loses all motivation and his friends have to come to his rescue (they open the door to purgatory and expel Leviathan from him). This is a major contrast as it is a role reversal: Cass is the one who helps and solves problems, he is not the one who gets helped.

 The Angel of Free Will is also the angel of intrinsic motivation. Cass draws his power from Heaven, but mostly from his idea of Heaven. He draws his power from his relatedness with his friends and his sense of autonomy.