16 Fundamental Human Desires and Values

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Is your motto "A place for everything, everything in its place?" Are you anal-retentive? Do you border on being OCD? Or are you just a normal organized person? You are probably normal, according to psychologist and PhD, Steven Reiss in his book Normal Personality.

The term anal-retentive has become so common that it is now just a cliche. Most of us never knew or have forgotten where it comes from. Freud asserted that people are motivated by a strong drive to reduce anxiety. We can trace our adult tendencies back to significant childhood moments such as potty training. During potty training, children exibit one of two behaviors; anal-retentive or anal-explosive. Today we only talk about being anal and have forgotten that there are two 'anals'. Nobody goes around telling disorganized people that they are anal-explosive.

Modern psychology has for the most part dismissed Freud who saw everything as a disorder. Science has moved from negative to positive, especially in management. "I think personality is about individuality, not abnormality." (Reiss)

In the seventies, psychology started to turn toward motivation theories. It wasn't until the eighties that these theories were accepted and institutionalized. Among these theories is these is the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) popularized by Dan Pink in his book Drive and Dr. Reiss' Reiss Motivational Profile (RMP). Today we are still catching up to the science in real-life management practice.

Dr. Reiss started with over 300 value statements, surveyed over 2500 people, and mathematically reduced their answers into 16 motivators (OSU.edu). RMP has been tested in over 25,000 people on every continent. His survey is cross cultural and universal. "People all over the world regardless of culture seem to be motivated by the same sixteen basic desires, although they may prioritize and satisfy them differently." (Reiss)

The key is to know your employees. "It's all a matter of individual differences. Different people are motivated in different ways." (OSU.edu)

16 Fundamental Human Desires and Values
Curiosity - desire to learn
Food - desire to eat
Honor (morality) - desire to behave in accordance with code of conduct
Rejection - fear of social rejection
Sex - desire for sexual behavior and fantasies
Physical exercise - desire for physical activity
Order - desired amount of organization in daily life
Independence - desire to make own decisions
Vengeance - desire to retaliate when offended (competitiveness)
Social Contact - desire to be in the company of others
Family - desire to spend time with own family
Social Prestige - desire for prestige and positive attention
Aversive Sensations - aversion to pain and anxiety
Citizenship - desire for public service and social justice
Power - desire to influence people
Savings - desire to accumulate wealth

Source: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/goals.htm#anchor22924