Reiss Motivation Profile
The Science Behind What Moves People
By understanding individual values and intrinsic needs, you can unlock personal growth, improve collaboration and drive organisational success.
The RMP is a scientifically validated tool that identifies what motivates you and your team at a core level. By understanding individual values and intrinsic needs, you can unlock personal growth, improve collaboration and drive organisational success. RMP provides the "why" behind motivation, and our training equips you with the "how" to apply it.
Together, they create meaningful, measurable results for individuals, teams, and organizations.
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The Pleasure Principle
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Many psychologists have assumed that human behavior is guided by the desire to feel good, or what can be called the “Pleasure Principle.” According to this principle, what people want above all is to maximize their pleasure and to minimize their pain.
The Pleasure Principle is evident in psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and social psychology. Freud’s construct of libido is basically a variant of this principle. The behaviorist view of motivation as reward and punishment is transparently similar to the Pleasure Principle. Social psychologists have defined intrinsic motivation as pleasure inherent to the performance of certain behaviors.
After being diagnosed with a life-threatening autoimmune disorder in 1995, Professor Steven Reiss started thinking about what was important to him – what made his life meaningful – what motivated his behavior. His subsequent study of the field of motivation led him to question the validity of the Pleasure Principle. Realizing that the field lacked a valid measure, he decided to develop a comprehensive, standardized assessment of what motivates us.
"If pleasure and pain do not drive our behavior, what does?"
- Professor Steven Reiss
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Scientific Identification of the 16 Basic Desires of Human Nature
Previous motivation theorists based their lists of motives on observations of humans and animals, interviews with people, and the stories individuals told about ambiguous pictures. Not surprisingly, these methods produced different lists of motives because the methods were not scientific.
Professor Reiss decided to ask people what goals matter to them. The initial draft of the questionnaire included more than 500 items reflecting every imaginable goal that might motivate someone. After paring this list to 328 items by eliminating redundancies, he conducted a series of studies with four separate samples of subjects in which he used a statistical technique called factor analysis to interpret the data. Along with another study led by graduate student Susan M. Havercamp, the end result of the research was 16 scales, each comprised of eight items, that defined the universal goals motivating each of us.
16 Basic Desires
Acceptance
the desire for positive self-regard
Curiosity
the desire for understanding
Eating
the desire to consume food
Family
the desire to raise children and spend time with siblings
Honor
the desire for upright character
Idealism
the desire for social justice
Independence
the desire for self-reliance
Order
the desire for structure and stability
Physical Activity
the desire for muscle exercise
Power
the desire for influence of will
Romance
the desire for sex
Saving
the desire to collect things
Social Contact
the desire for companionship with peers
Status
the desire for respect based on social standing
Tranquility
the desire to avoid experiencing anxiety and pain
Vengeance
the desire to confront those who frustrate or offend us
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Comprehensiveness of the 16 Basic Desires
According to Professor Reiss, all psychologically important motives express one of the basic desires or two or more of the desires acting in compound. Sensuality, for example, is motivated by a compound of the basic desires for Romance and Eating.
The desire for money is part of the basic desire for Status. Mathematical analysis of responses from thousands of people showed a strong statistical congruity between the pursuit of wealth and the valuation of social status.
Where is the desire for wealth?
The 16 basic desires include motives for survival such as the desires for Eating, Physical Activity, and Order (which includes cleanliness), but not a separate motive for survival itself. In Reiss’s view, although survival is a consequence of satisfying the basic desires for Eating and Physical Activity, survival by itself is not a common psychological goal that motivates specific behaviors in daily life.
Where is the desire for survival?
According to Reiss, attention seeking is not a single motive. Rather, it falls under different motives depending on what it is we want others to notice. Seeking attention for wealth or social standing falls under the basic desire for Status; seeking attention for achievement falls under the basic desire for Power; and seeking attention for one’s appearance falls under the basic desire for Romance.
Where is the desire for attention?
Some psychologists have suggested that the pursuit of happiness is our most important motive. In Reiss’s view, happiness is pursued indirectly. To find happiness, you must aim to satisfy your most intense desires, and happiness will be experienced as a consequence.
Where is the desire for happiness?
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Five Characteristics of a Basic Desire
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Universal Goals
The aim of each basic desire is a goal common to everyone and deeply rooted in human nature. The goal of the basic desire for Acceptance is the avoidance of failure, criticism, and rejection. The goal of the basic desire for Idealism is justice.
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Life Motives
Satiation of a basic desire is always temporary. Hours or days after a basic desire is satisfied, it reasserts itself and influences our behavior anew. When we satisfy our desire for physical exercise by running a mile, we again experience the desire for muscle movement in the next day or two. Since basic desires can be satisfied only temporarily, they motivate us throughout our lifespan.
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Intrinsic Motivation
People pursue their basic desires for no reason other than that is what they want. The basic desire for Order motivates us to organize our lives because we intrinsically value structure, not because we are trying to impress others with our organizational skills.
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Core Values
Individuals vary significantly in how much value they place on each of the 16 basic desires. For example, athletes with a strong desire for Physical Activity typically place significantly higher value on fitness than does the average person, while intellectuals with a strong desire for Curiosity typically place higher value on theoretical ideas than does the average person. Basic desires and core values are closely connected: We want what we value, and we value what we want. Individuals who value a sense of belonging want to socialize a lot, and people who want to socialize a lot value a sense of belonging.
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Psychological Significance
A motive must have psychological significance to be considered a basic desire. Thirst, for example, was excluded as a motive because it has little relevance for personality and relationships. Eating, on the other hand, is a basic desire due to its cultural relevance, the effort people put forth in preparing and consuming food, and its impact on health. Although many religions have dietary laws, few – if any – have laws governing how people should drink water.
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How Motives and Traits are Connected
While previous motivational theorists spoke in general terms of motivation and personality, Professor Reiss was the first to devise a conceptual platform that connects motives to specific traits. According to Reiss, intensity of motivation is central to understanding the development of personality traits.
In the theory of 16 basic desires, each desire is viewed as a continuum of motivation, and each individual is postulated to have an optimal level of happiness with regard to the continuum. For the motive of Social Contact, for example, the continuum ranges from wanting to be alone all of the time to wanting to socialize for all of one’s waking hours. To achieve an optimal level of social contact, the individual develops habits to regulate his experiences toward his desired amount of socialization with peers.
Everybody wants the same things but not to the same degree.
- Professor Steven Reiss
satiating intensity
How much is wanted
“How much is wanted” is the particular in human motivation. Our differing satiating intensities for each of the basic desires are what make us individuals. A person with a high satiating intensity for Order develops the trait of “organized,” while a person with a low satiating intensity for Order develops the trait of “spontaneous.”
intrinsically valued goal
What is wanted
“Want is wanted” is the universal in human motivation. We all want the same 16 goals: acceptance, understanding, sustenance, offspring, character, justice, freedom, structure, muscle exercise, competence, sex, preparedness, belonging, respect, safety, and victory.
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Each desire sits on a continuum
Take Social Contact: the range runs from wanting to be entirely alone to wanting company every waking hour. Every person has a point on this spectrum that feels just right for them.
Average desires need no special habits
Society is structured around average needs. A person with a moderate desire for social contact finds it easily met, no special habits required.
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Extreme intensities drive habit formation
Those at the high or low end must actively shape their environment. A high desire for social contact leads to hosting gatherings, joining clubs — habits that others label as "friendly" and "outgoing."
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Habits become personality traits
Over time, the habits formed to satisfy extreme desires solidify into visible, stable personality traits — connecting motivation directly to character.
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Your unique intensity profile
The Reiss Motivation Profile® measures your satiating intensity for each desire — revealing the roots of your personality traits.
16 universal desires
The same 16 goals underlie every person's motivation — what differs is the intensity, not the goals themselves.
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Traits Motivated by the 16 Basic Desires
The following brief descriptions of the connections between strong and weak basic desires, on the one hand, and personality traits, on the other hand, are supported by scientific studies that established the validity of the RMP.
High Drive
People with a strong desire for Acceptance lack self-confidence. They are unusually sensitive to failure, criticism, and rejection. Typical personality traits include insecure, self-doubting, inconsistent, and pessimistic.
Low Drive
People with a weak desire for Acceptance are self-confident. Since they tend to view failure as a temporary setback, they remain secure in their ability to achieve their goals. Typical personality traits include confident, self-assured, and optimistic.
Acceptance
The basic desire for Acceptance is the desire for positive self-regard. It motivates people to avoid criticism and rejection. It also motivates evaluation anxiety. Acceptance is the basic desire most relevant to self-esteem. It is about being valued for who we are.
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How Basic Desires Play Out in Relationships
Professor Reiss’s theory of 16 basic desires has significant implications for relationships. When used with two people in a relationship, the Reiss Motivation Profile® assesses their compatibility – that is, the similar values that bind them as well as the opposing values that tend to result in repeated quarrels. The relationship can be between any two people – for example, supervisor-employee, coach-athlete, parent-child, or romantic partners.
Four Principals in long-term relationship
Principle of Everyday Tyranny
We try to impose our values on others, thinking it is for their own good.
Principle of Self-hugging
Self-hugging is the natural tendency to think our values are best, not just for us, but potentially for everyone.
Principle of Separation
People separate from those with opposite values.
Principle of Bonding
People bond to those with similar values.
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Summary
The Reiss Motivation Profile® is a comprehensive, standardized measure of what motivates an individual. It was developed empirically, passed stringent peer review for publication in scientific journals, and has been validated by independent researchers. Numerous studies have provided evidence for the reliability and validity of each of the 16 RMP scales. In short, the Reiss Motivation Profile® is The Science of Motivation®.
Reiss Motivation That Connects People
From personal insight to team alignment, our Reiss Motivation Profile services help you understand what truly drives people — and turn that awareness into meaningful growth.
Why the Reiss Motivation Profile Matters
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Build Stronger Connections
Understand what motivates each team member to reduce misunderstandings and foster harmony.
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Navigate Conflicts with Insight
Understand team dynamics early to prevent issues and create lasting harmony.
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Align Actions with Values
Create a work environment where individual motivators align with team goals.
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Enhance Collaboration
Unlock the full potential of your team by aligning their strengths and values.