This article is the fifth in a series summarizing research that positions the Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) as the "Science of Motivation®".
Professor Kenneth R. Olson and doctoral student Dale A. Weber of Fort Hays State University conducted a study examining correlations between the Big Five Personality Traits measured by the NEO-PI-R and the 16 Core Motivations assessed by the RMP.
The Big Five Factors:
- Openness to Experience (creative/curious ↔ consistent/cautious)
- Responsibility (efficient/regular ↔ wasteful/careless)
- Extraversion (sociable/energetic ↔ introverted/withdrawn)
- Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate ↔ argumentative/insensitive)
- Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous ↔ resilient/confident)
The 16 Core Motivations of RMP:
- Acceptance: Desire for a positive self-perception
- Curiosity: The desire to understand
- Food: The desire to consume food
- Family: Desire to raise children and spend time with siblings
- Honor: Honest character desire
- Idealism: The desire for social justice
- Independence: The desire for self-reliance
- Order: Desire for structure and stability
- Physical Activity: Desire for muscle exercise
- Power: The will to influence the will
- Romanticism: The desire for sexuality
- Hoarding: The desire to collect objects
- Social Communication: Desire to communicate with peers
- Status: Desire for respect based on social status
- Peace: The desire to avoid pain and anxiety
- Revenge: The desire to react to being thwarted or hurt
At the time of the study, the Big Five factors were considered to be a valid representation of the core personality dimensions. The researchers tested the concurrent validity of the RMP by examining the correlations between these two models.
Participants
138 university students (93 women, 45 men).
Method
Participants completed the NEO-PI-R Form S and the Reiss Motivation Profile®.
Results
All findings below were statistically significant at a significance level of at least 1% (≥99% probability that the results are correct).
- RMP Acceptance Scale ↔ Neuroticism: Those with a high need for acceptance (insecure, self-doubt, pessimistic) scored high on neuroticism. This supported the concurrent validity of the RMP Acceptance Scale.
- RMP Curiosity Scale ↔ Openness to Experience: Those with high curiosity needs (intellectual, inquisitive) scored high openness to experience.
- RMP Honor Scale ↔ Responsibility: Those with high honor needs (trustworthy, responsible) scored high on responsibility.
- RMP Idealism Scale ↔ Agreeableness: Those with high idealism needs (altruistic, compassionate) scored high on agreeableness.
- RMP Power Scale ↔ Extraversion: Those with high power needs (assertive, directive) scored high on extraversion.
- RMP Hoarding Scale ↔ Neuroticism: Those with a high need to hoard (miser, hoarder) scored high neuroticism.
- RMP Social Communication Scale ↔ Extraversion: Those with high social communication needs (extraverted, sociable) scored high in extraversion.
- RMP Serenity Scale ↔ Neuroticism: Those with a high need for serenity (anxious, cautious) scored high on neuroticism.
- RMP Revenge Scale ↔ Neuroticism: Those with high need for revenge (angry, resentful) had high neuroticism scores.
Conclusions
- The study was conducted by independent researchers not affiliated with Professor Steven Reiss, who developed the RMP. This strengthens the unbiased validity of the findings.
- The research has been peer-reviewed for publication in an established journal, demonstrating its methodological rigor.
- At a 99% confidence level, the concurrent validity of the following nine scales of the RMP was supported: Acceptance, Curiosity, Honor, Idealism, Power, Accumulation, Social Communication, Peace of Mind, Revenge.
Source:
Olson, K.R., & Weber, D.A. (2004). Relations between Big Five traits and fundamental motives. Psychological Reports, 95, 795-802.