Effects of Psychological Needs
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EFFECTS OF UNMET NEEDS AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF UNMET PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH Amélie Beausoleil Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology School of Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © Amélie Beausoleil, Ottawa, Canada, 2012 EFFECTS OF UNFULFILLED NEEDS ii Abstract The importance of psychological needs for optimal mental and physical well-being has been well documented within the literature. However, there remains little consensus on the definition of basic psychological needs, on which needs are most important or fundamental, and on how to best assess basic needs in individuals. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop and validate a comprehensive measure of fundamental psychological needs and to examine its predictive utility for both mental and physical health. To fulfil these objectives, measure construction and validation studies were conducted in 2 separate undergraduate student samples (N = 226; N = 283). Participants completed online self-report measures of emotional and psychological symptoms, negative life events, personality characteristics, and psychological needs. Factor Analyses of the Psychological Needs Questionnaire (PNQ) revealed that needs can be classified in a three-level multi-factorial confirmatory model and that self-worth and relationship types of psychological needs can be further divided into several, second-level factors. Results also indicated that the PNQ is reliable and possesses good construct validity as well as predictive utility for numerous psychological and physical problems. In addition, psychological needs moderated the relationship between depressive personality characteristics and mood. Future studies should examine the proposed needs- based model in a longitudinal fashion, both in community and clinical samples. In addition to functioning as a global introduction and providing an overview of the relevant literature, Chapter 1 proposes a new model of psychological needs. Chapter 2 describes in further detail the importance of each need identified by the new model, with a particular emphasis on the consequences associated with having each need unfulfilled. Chapter 3, 4, and 5 represent three academic journal articles resulting from the data collected in the current project. Finally, chapter 6 provides a global discussion of the entire dissertation. EFFECTS OF UNFULFILLED NEEDS iii Statement of Co-Authorship The three manuscripts included in this dissertation were prepared in collaboration with my dissertation supervisor. I was the primary author and Dr. Darcy Santor was the secondary author. As the primary author on all manuscripts, I was responsible for conceptualization of the research question and methods, planning and execution of statistical analyses, and preparation of manuscripts. Dr. Santor provided guidance and assistance in all aspects of the project. EFFECTS OF UNFULFILLED NEEDS iv Acknowledgements This project could not have been accomplished without the support and assistance of various people. Firstly, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my research supervisor, Dr. Darcy Santor, who was a constant source of encouragement and inspiration throughout my graduate studies. His extensive knowledge in scale development, research design, and advanced statistical analyses made him an invaluable resource for this project. I am honoured to have worked with Dr. Santor and to have had him as a mentor. I would also like to convey thanks to the members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Jane Ledingham, and Dr. Barry Schneider. In addition, I am grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for granting me a master‘s level scholarship and to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for providing me with the Doctoral Research Award, both of which were instrumental in the completion of this project. I would also like to express my love and gratitude to my beloved family and friends for their endless encouragement and understanding throughout my studies. EFFECTS OF UNFULFILLED NEEDS v Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Statement of Co-Authorship .......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................... 1 An Examination of the Effects of Unmet Psychological Needs on Mental and Physical Health .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Need Theories throughout History ........................................................................................ 1 Extrinsic Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation, and Amotivation .............................................. 6 Drives, Motives, Goals, and Psychological Needs ............................................................... 7 Basic Need Development and Individual Differences .......................................................... 9 Need Variations within Culture, Gender, and Age ............................................................. 11 Consequences of Unmet Psychological Needs ................................................................... 14 Negative Life Events, Personality Vulnerability Characteristics, Depression, and Needs . 18 Challenges in the Field of Needs and Focus of the Dissertation ......................................... 23 Summary of Challenges in the Field of Needs .................................................................... 40 A New Needs Model ........................................................................................................... 41 Structural and Measurement Components of the Model ..................................................... 45 Construct Validity Component of Model ............................................................................ 46 Global Objectives of Dissertation ....................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................................. 50 Detailed Description of Each Basic Need ..................................................................................... 50 Competence ......................................................................................................................... 50 Autonomy ............................................................................................................................ 51 Agency ................................................................................................................................ 52 Independence ....................................................................................................................... 53 Stability ............................................................................................................................... 53 Fairness ............................................................................................................................... 54 Relatedness .......................................................................................................................... 55 Belongingness ..................................................................................................................... 55 Physical Intimacy ................................................................................................................ 56 Status ................................................................................................................................... 57 Enjoyment ........................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 3: Study 1 ................................................................................................................... 59 Developing and Validating a New Self-Report Measure of General Psychological Need Fulfilment ...................................................................................................................................... 59 Limitations of Current Measures of Need Fulfilment ......................................................... 60 EFFECTS OF UNFULFILLED NEEDS vi Objectives of the Study ....................................................................................................... 61 Research Hypotheses .......................................................................................................... 65 Methods ......................................................................................................................................... 68 Participants .........................................................................................................................