Sixteen psychological needs (herein called basic desires) drive the human psyche and potentially explain a wide range of human experiences, everything from relationships to values (Reiss, 2000a). Based on peer-reviewed studies with thousands of people from different backgrounds (Havercamp & Reiss, 2003; Reiss & Havercamp, 1998), I believe that everybody embraces all sixteen basic desires, but they prioritize them differently. How an individual prioritizes these basic desires, called a Reiss Motivation Profile (RMP), reveals his or her values. Since many “normal” personality traits are habits people develop to satisfy their strong-and weak-intensity basic desires, the RMP is a valid indicator of normal personality traits and types. The RMP is a detailed description of human motivation, showing specific connections among motives, values, and many normal personality traits. If I know how an individual prioritizes and combines the sixteen basic desires, I can predict with significant validity the individual's behavior in real-life situations.

Nature of Basic Desires

We know what motives are – wants, desires, strivings, and psychological needs. The construct of a basic desire, however, refers to a particular kind of motive. Here are the five defining qualities of a basic desire.

UNIVERSAL MOTIVATION. Basic desires motivate everyone. As William McDougall (2003/1908) observed in his landmark book, An Introduction to Social Psychology,