Abstract
Self-determination theory proposes that the fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness is important for optimal functioning. While support for this proposition have been well-documented, little attention has been paid to how these needs interact within individuals and whether having equally low, medium or high level of need fulfillment (i.e., balanced need satisfaction) has additional effects over and above the aggregated need fulfillment itself. The present study addresses these questions by examining the importance of having balanced versus imbalanced need fulfillment by adopting latent profile analysis, making it possible to distinguish quantitative and qualitative need-related differences. This research also documents the relations of these need profiles in relation to theoretically-relevant profile predictors (perceived interpersonal behaviors) and outcomes (affect and passion). A total of 1094 adults (female = 746, Mage = 26.00, SDage = 7.69) participated in this study. A four-profile solution appeared to be the most optimal: (1) balanced, all needs are highly satisfied, (2) imbalanced, only relatedness is highly satisfied, (3) balanced, all needs are average, and (4) balanced, all needs are frustrated. Interestingly, these profiles differed from one another in terms of obsessive passion, negative affect, and, to a smaller extent, positive affect, but not harmonious passion. Finally, profile membership was predicted by the perceived need nurturing global factor as well as by some of the specific factors. These results support the hypothesis that, apart from need fulfillment, need balance is also important for wellbeing and optimal functioning.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
These online groups and forums included, for instance, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Hungary or Sorozatjunkie.
While second-order models could also have been investigated (in which the first-order factors are associated with a second-order factor), this modeling approach has been shown to have limitations (see Morin et al. 2016 or 2018). More specifically, second-order models rest on the assumption that the association between the items and the second-order factor is indirect and, at the same time, fully mediated by the first-order factors. Also, these models assume that the ratio of global and specific variance is exactly the same for all items associated with a specific first-order factor. However, this assumption is overly stringent and rarely holds in practice (Gignac, 2016; Reise, 2012). For this reason, bifactor models were analyzed that are able to properly partition the indicators’ global and specific variance.
References
Aladwani, A. M. (2014). Gravitating towards Facebook (GoToFB): What it is? And how can it be measured? Computers in Human Behavior,33, 270–278.
Bartholomew, K. J., Ntoumanis, N., Ryan, R. M., Bosch, J. A., & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C. (2011). Self-determination theory and diminished functioning: The role of interpersonal control and psychological need thwarting. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,37, 1459–1473.
Beaton, D. E., Bombardier, C., Guillemin, F., & Ferraz, M. B. (2000). Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine,25, 3186–3191.
Bőthe, B., Tóth-Király, I., Zsila, Á., Griffiths, M. D., Demetrovics, Z., & Orosz, G. (2018). The development of the problematic pornography consumption scale (PPCS). The Journal of Sex Research,55, 395–406.
Campbell, R., Tobback, E., Delesie, L., Vogelaers, D., Mariman, A., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2017). Basic psychological need experiences, fatigue, and sleep in individuals with unexplained chronic fatigue. Stress and Health,33, 645–655.
Chen, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Beyers, W., Boone, L., Deci, E. L., Van der Kaap-Deeder, J., et al. (2015). Basic psychological need satisfaction, need frustration, and need strength across four cultures. Motivation and Emotion,39, 216–236.
Church, A. T., Katigbak, M. S., Locke, K. D., Zhang, H., Shen, J., de Jesús Vargas-Flores, J., et al. (2013). Need satisfaction and well-being: Testing self-determination theory in eight cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology,44, 507–534.
Costa, S., Gugliandolo, M. C., Barberis, N., & Larcan, R. (2016). The mediational role of psychological basic needs in the relation between conception of god and psychological outcomes. Journal of Religion and Health,55, 1–15.
Curran, T., Hill, A. P., Appleton, P. R., Vallerand, R. J., & Standage, M. (2015). The psychology of passion: A meta-analytical review of a decade of research on intrapersonal outcomes. Motivation and Emotion,39, 631–655.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Demetrovics, Z., Urbán, R., Nagygyörgy, K., Farkas, J., Zilahy, D., Mervó, B., et al. (2011). Why do you play? The development of the motives for online gaming questionnaire (MOGQ). Behavior Research Methods,43, 814–825.
Diallo, T. M. O., Morin, A. J. S., & Lu, H. (2016). Impact of misspecifications of the latent variance-covariance and residual matrices on the class enumeration accuracy of growth mixture models. Structural Equation Modeling,23, 507–531.
Dysvik, A., Kuvaas, B., & Gagné, M. (2013). An investigation of the unique, synergistic and balanced relationships between basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology,43, 1050–1064.
Earl, S. R. (2017). The role of young adolescents’ psychological needs at secondary school: Applying basic psychological needs theory. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) thesis, University of Kent.
Esdar, W., Gorges, J., & Wild, E. (2016). The role of basic need satisfaction for junior academics’ goal conflicts and teaching motivation. Higher Education,72, 175–190.
Facebook (2018). Company Info. https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/. Accessed 11 Dec 2018.
Ferrand, C., Martinent, G., & Durmaz, N. (2014). Psychological need satisfaction and well-being in adults aged 80 years and older living in residential homes: Using a self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Aging Studies,30, 104–111.
Fisher, K., & Robinson, J. (2011). Daily life in 23 countries. Social Indicators Research, 101, 295–304.
Gignac, G. E. (2016). The higher-order model imposes a proportionality constraint: That is why the bifactor model tends to fit better. Intelligence,55, 57–68.
Gillet, N., Morin, A. J. S., Cougot, B., & Gagné, M. (2017a). Workaholism profiles: Associations with determinants, correlates, and outcomes. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology,90, 559–586.
Gillet, N., Morin, A. J. S., Huyghebaert, T., Burger, L., Maillot, A., Poulin, A., et al. (2017b). University students’ need satisfaction trajectories: A growth mixture analysis. Learning and Instruction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.11.003.
Grolnick, W. S., & Ryan, R. M. (1989). Parent styles associated with children’s self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology,81, 143–154.
Gustafsson, H., Carlin, M., Podlog, L., Stenling, A., & Lindwall, M. (2018). Motivational profiles and burnout in elite athletes: A person-centered approach. Psychology of Sport and Exercise,35, 118–125.
Gyollai, Á., Simor, P., Köteles, F., & Demetrovics, Zs. (2011). Psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of the original and the short form of the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS). Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica,13, 73–79.
Haerens, L., Aelterman, N., Vansteenkiste, M., Soenens, B., & Van Petegem, S. (2015). Do perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching relate to physical education students’ motivational experiences through unique pathways? Distinguishing between the bright and dark side of motivation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise,16, 26–36.
Hagerty, B. M., & Williams, A. (1999). The effects of sense of belonging, social support, conflict, and loneliness on depression. Nursing Research,48, 215–219.
Hawkins, B., Kalin, J. L., & Waldron, J. J. (2014). Psychological needs profile, motivational orientation, and physical activity of college students. Global Journal of Health & Physical Education Pedagogy,3, 137–149.
Hipp, J. R., & Bauer, D. J. (2006). Local solutions in the estimation of growth mixture models. Psychological Methods,11, 36–53.
Howard, J., Gagné, M., Morin, A. J. S., & Van den Broeck, A. (2016). Motivation profiles at work: A self-determination theory approach. Journal of Vocational Behavior,95, 74–89.
Jang, H., Reeve, J., & Halusic, M. (2016). A new autonomy-supportive way of teaching that increases conceptual learning: Teaching in students’ preferred ways. The Journal of Experimental Education,84, 686–701.
Konrad, A. (2017). Here Is Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report For 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2017/05/31/mary-meeker-internet-trends-for-2017/#58818efc143e. Accessed 11 Dec 2018.
Krijgsman, C., Vansteenkiste, M., van Tartwijk, J., Maes, J., Borghouts, L., Cardon, G., et al. (2017). Performance grading and motivational functioning and fear in physical education: A self-determination theory perspective. Learning and Individual Differences,55, 202–211.
Lalande, D., Vallerand, R. J., Lafrenière, M. A. K., Verner-Filion, J., Laurent, F. A., Forest, J., et al. (2017). Obsessive passion: A compensatory response to unsatisfied needs. Journal of Personality,85, 163–178.
Luo, Y., Hawkley, L. C., Waite, L. J., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2012). Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: A national longitudinal study. Social Science and Medicine,74, 907–914.
Marsh, H. W., & Hau, K. T. (2007). Applications of latent-variable models in psychology: The need for methodological-substantive synergies. Contemporary Educational Psychology,32, 151–170.
Marsh, H. W., Lüdtke, O., Trautwein, U., & Morin, A. J. S. (2009). Classical latent profile analysis of academic self-concept dimensions: Synergy of person-and variable-centered approaches to theoretical models of self-concept. Structural Equation Modeling,16, 191–225.
Marsh, H. W., Vallerand, R. J., Lafreniere, M. A. K., Parker, P., Morin, A. J. S., Carbonneau, N., et al. (2013). passion: Does one scale fit all? Construct validity of two-factor passion scale and psychometric invariance over different activities and languages. Psychological Assessment,25, 796–809.
Meyer, J. P., & Morin, A. J. S. (2016). A person-centered approach to commitment research: Theory, research, and methodology. Journal of Organizational Behavior,37, 584–612.
Milyavskaya, M., Gingras, I., Mageau, G. A., Koestner, R., Gagnon, H., Fang, J., et al. (2009). Balance across contexts: Importance of balanced need satisfaction across various life domains. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,35, 1031–1045.
Morin, A. J. S. (2016). Person-centered research strategies in commitment research. In J. P. Meyer (Ed.), The handbook of employee commitment (pp. 490–508). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Morin, A. J. S., Arens, A., & Marsh, H. (2016). A bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework for the identification of distinct sources of construct-relevant psychometric multidimensionality. Structural Equation Modeling,23, 116–139.
Morin, A. J. S., Houle, S. A., & Litalien, D. (2017). Increasing our analytic sophistication person-centered analyses. Panel discussion at the 2017 conference on commitment. Ohia State University.
Morin, A. J. S., & Marsh, H. W. (2015). Disentangling shape from level effects in person-centered analyses: An illustration based on university teachers’ multidimensional profiles of effectiveness. Structural Equation Modeling,22, 39–59.
Morin, A. J. S., Morizot, J., Boudrias, J. S., & Madore, I. (2011). A multifoci person-centered perspective on workplace affective commitment: A latent profile/factor mixture analysis. Organizational Research Methods,14, 58–90.
Morin, A. J. S., Myers, N. D., & Lee, S. (2018). Modern factor analytic techniques: Bifactor models, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and bifactor-ESEM. In G. Tenenbaum & R. C. Eklund (Eds.), Handbook of sport psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken: Wiley.
Morin, A. J. S., & Wang, J. C. K. (2016). A gentle introduction to mixture modeling using physical fitness data. In N. Ntoumanis & N. Myers (Eds.), An introduction to intermediate and advanced statistical analyses for sport and exercise scientists (pp. 183–210). London: Wiley.
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. (1998–2017). Mplus user’s guide (8th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
Niemiec, C. P., Lynch, M. F., Vansteenkiste, M., Bernstein, J., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2006). The antecedents and consequences of autonomous self-regulation for college: A self-determination theory perspective on socialization. Journal of Adolescence,29, 761–775.
Pulido, J. J., Sánchez-Oliva, D., Leo, F. M., Sánchez-Cano, J., & García-Calvo, T. (2018). Development and validation of Coaches’ interpersonal style questionnaire. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science,22, 25–37.
Raižienė, S., Gabrialavičiūtė, I., & Garckija, R. (2017). Links between basic psychological need satisfaction and school adjustment: A person-oriented approach. Journal of Psychological and Educational Research, 25, 82–92.
Ratelle, C. F., Larose, S., Guay, F., & Senécal, C. (2005). Perceptions of parental involvement and support as predictors of college students’ persistence in a science curriculum. Journal of Family Psychology,19, 286–293.
Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Daily well-being: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,26, 419–435.
Reise, S. P. (2012). The rediscovery of bifactor measurement models. Multivariate Behavioral Research,47, 667–696.
Richter, F. (2013). Social networking is the no. 1 online activity in the U.S. Statista. Retrieved on September 24, 2018 from <https://www.statista.com/chart/1238/digital-media-use-in-the-us/>.
Rocchi, M., Pelletier, L., Cheung, S., Baxter, D., & Beaudry, S. (2017a). Assessing need-supportive and need-thwarting interpersonal behaviours: The interpersonal behaviours questionnaire (IBQ). Personality and Individual Differences,104, 423–433.
Rocchi, M., Pelletier, L., & Desmarais, P. (2017b). The validity of the interpersonal behaviors questionnaire (IBQ) in sport. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science,21, 15–25.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist,55, 68–78.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory. Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: Guildford Press.
Ryan, R. M., Patrick, H., Deci, E. L., & Williams, G. C. (2008). Facilitating health behaviour change and its maintenance: Interventions based on self-determination theory. European Health Psychologist,10, 2–5.
Schmahl, F., & Walper, S. (2012). Can you relate? The importance of need satisfaction for the quality and progressive union formation process of intimate relationships. Comparative Population Studies, 37, 361–392.
Schultz, P. P., Ryan, R. M., Niemiec, C. P., Legate, N., & Williams, G. C. (2015). Mindfulness, work climate, and psychological need satisfaction in employee well-being. Mindfulness,6, 971–985.
Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1999). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: the self-concordance model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,76, 482–497.
Sheldon, K. M., & Niemiec, C. P. (2006). It’s not just the amount that counts: Balanced need satisfaction also affects well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,91, 331–341.
Soenens, B., Deci, E. L., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2017). How parents contribute to children’s psychological health: The critical role of psychological need support. In M. Wehmeyer, K. Shogren, T. Little, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Development of self-determination through the life-course (pp. 171–187). Dordrecht: Springer.
Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., Beyers, W., et al. (2007). Conceptualizing parental autonomy support: Adolescent perceptions of promotion of independence versus promotion of volitional functioning. Developmental Psychology,43, 633–646.
Storch, E. A., Brassard, M. R., & Masia-Warner, C. L. (2003). The relationship of peer victimization to social anxiety and loneliness in adolescence. Child Study Journal,33, 1–18.
Tessier, D., Sarrazin, P., & Ntoumanis, N. (2010). The effect of an intervention to improve newly qualified teachers’ interpersonal style, students’ motivation and psychological need satisfaction in sport-based physical education. Contemporary Educational Psychology,35, 242–253.
Tóth-Király, I., Bőthe, B., Orosz, G., & Rigó, A. (2018a). A new look on the representation and criterion validity of need fulfillment: Application of the Bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0015-y.
Tóth-Király, I., Bőthe, B., Rigó, A., & Orosz, G. (2017a). An illustration of the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework on the passion scale. Frontiers in Psychology,8, 1968.
Tóth-Király, I., Bőthe, B., Tóth-Fáber, E., Hága, G., & Orosz, G. (2017b). Connected to TV series: Quantifying series watching engagement. Journal of Behavioral Addictions,6, 472–489.
Tóth-Király, I., Morin, A. J. S., Bőthe, B., Orosz, G., & Rigó, A. (2018b). Investigating the multidimensionality of need fulfillment: A bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling representation. Structural Equation Modeling,25, 267–286.
Vallerand, R. J. (2015). The psychology of passion: A dualistic model. New York: Oxford University Press.
Vallerand, R. J., Blanchard, C., Mageau, G. A., Koestner, R., Ratelle, C., Léonard, M., et al. (2003). Les passions de l’âme: On obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,85, 756–767.
Vanhove-Meriaux, C., Martinent, G., & Ferrand, C. (2018). Profiles of needs satisfaction and thwarting in older people living at home: Relationships with well-being and ill-being indicators. Geriatrics & Gerontology International,18, 470–478.
Vansteenkiste, M., & Ryan, R. M. (2013). On psychological growth and vulnerability: Basic psychological need satisfaction and need frustration as a unifying principle. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration,23, 263–280.
Vermunt, J. K., & Magidson, J. (2002). Latent class cluster analysis. In J. Hagenaars & A. McCutcheon (Eds.), Applied latent class models (pp. 89–106). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Véronneau, M. H., Koestner, R. F., & Abela, J. R. (2005). Intrinsic need satisfaction and well–being in children and adolescents: An application of the self–determination theory. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,24, 280–292.
Walton, G. M., Murphy, M. C., Logel, C., Yeager, D. S., & The College Transition Collaborative (2017). The Social-Belonging Intervention: A Guide For Use and Customization. http://gregorywalton-stanford.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/4/4/49448111/belonging_guide_overview-jan2017.pdf. Accessed 11 Dec 2018.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,54, 1063–1070.
Weinstein, N., Przybylski, A. K., & Murayama, K. (2017). A prospective study of the motivational and health dynamics of internet gaming disorder. PeerJ,5, e3838.
Yu, S., Chen, B., Levesque-Bristol, C., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2018). Chinese education examined via the lens of self-determination. Educational Psychology Review,30, 177–214.
Funding
The first author was supported by the ÚNKP-17-3 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities. The first third authors were also supported by the Hungarian Research Fund (NKFI FK 124225).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors declare no conflict of interest.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tóth-Király, I., Bőthe, B., Orosz, G. et al. On the Importance of Balanced Need Fulfillment: A Person-Centered Perspective. J Happiness Stud 21, 1923–1944 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0066-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0066-0