Many psychologists have noticed that motivation, personality, values, and emotions are connected. Nevertheless, there is no widely accepted conceptual platform to identify and explain these connections. The Big 5 personality theory, the DSM personality concepts, or the Deci-Ryan model of intrinsic-extrinsic motivation do not show how these various aspects of human behavior are connected.
Here I outline the conceptual platform I use and teach to those who apply my theory to business, coaching, schools, marketing, relationships, faith-based counseling, sports, and other meaningful endeavors. These applications are going quite well, perhaps because the ideas are more or less valid.
Premise 1. Certain goals are deeply rooted in human nature and common to everyone. We call these "universal goals." Examples are food, social contact, understanding, and order.
Premise 2. My colleagues and I have identified and scientifically validated 16 universal goals. This is the only list of human needs that was empirically derived.
Premise 3. Universal goals can be satiated only temporarily. The Germans call them life motives. This means we need to think of motives in terms of desired rates of experience with the goal, not in terms of something more final. You must understand this principle to connect motives and traits.
Premise 4. Goals (e.g., understanding, belonging, revenge, achievement, food), not emotion, are the key to predicting behavior in natural environments. Emotion is less specific than goals and can be a consequence of satiation. I focus on goals and set aside the issue of emotions.
Premise 5. Although everybody is motivated by the same 16 goals, they prioritize them differently. How an individual prioritizes the 16 universal goals is called a "Reiss Profile" and is assessed by a standardized tool called the 'Reiss Motivation Profile." Individual differences in the desired rate of experience with each of 16 universal goals is a powerful construct for predicting behavior (see my post "3 pillars of motivational psychology.")
Example I:
Social contact is a universal motivator. Some people seek much more social contact than is normative, while others seek much less. Those who seek above-average social contact value social life and behaviors that facilitate such, such as social skills. They become gregarious (trait) and friendly (trait) in order to attract the an above-average rate of social experiences. Those who seek much less social contact than is normative value solitude and privacy. They become unapproachable people (trait) or loners (trait) or grouchy to lower the rate of social experiences.
Example II:
Safety is a universal motivator. Some people seek much more safety than is normative, while others seek much less. Those who seek above-average safety value emotional tranquility. They become cautious (trait) or fearful (trait) in order to experience an above-average rate of safety. Those who seek much less safety than is normative value dare and adventure. They become risk takers (trait) to lower the rate of experience of safety.
Conclusion,
Personality traits are just habits for experiencing universal goals at valued rates. The "Dictionary of Normal Personality Traits," appended to my book Normal Personality, suggests the motives for every trait in a theasarus.
Core values are rates of desired experiences with universal goals.
Motives are the assertion of core values.
Many emotions are consequences of satistying (or frustrating) universal goals.
For more examples and a fuller explanation of the underlying rationale, check out my book, Normal Personality: A new way of thinking about people. (www.amazon.com)
For professional development, join the nonprofit World Society of Motivation Scientists and Professionals (www.motivationscience.org). Our 2012 annual meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. Previous meetings were in Vienna (2011), Indianaopolis (2010), and Cologne (2009). Significant networking with colleagues from Europe, Asia, and North American occurs at these meetings.
