The same basic desire (or psychological need) at varying intensities produces different personality traits. Aristotle's (1953/330 b.c.e., Book III) brilliant analysis of vices, virtues, and moderation made this point centuries ago. According to Aristotle, deficient, moderate, and excessive intensities of the same life motive can yield different, and even opposite, personality traits. Insufficient, moderate, and excessive predispositions to become fearful, respectively, cause the personality traits of foolhardiness, courage, and cowardice. Insufficient, moderate, and excessive desires for wealth, respectively, cause the personality traits of shabbiness, magnificence, and vulgarity. Insufficient, moderate, and excessive desires for social contact, respectively, cause the personality traits of boorishness, friendliness, and buffoonery.

Table 3.1 shows the theoretical connections between the sixteen basic desires and personality traits. The table is intended to show how certain personality traits might be caused by the same motive but at different intensities.

Here is how to read Table 3.1. The need for acceptance is one of the sixteen universal desires of humankind. Everybody is motivated to be accepted, but to different extents. People who have an insufficient (very weak) basic desire for acceptance appear to others as overconfident. Those with a low-intensity (or weak) basic desire for acceptance impress others as self-confident. People who have an average-intensity basic desire for acceptance make no distinctive impression on other people with regard to how confident they are. They may have confidence in some situations and lack confidence in others.