Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Predicting the brighter and darker sides of interpersonal relationships: Does psychological need thwarting matter?

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Motivation and Emotion Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recent studies have indicated that assessments of need thwarting better predict diminished functioning and ill-being compared to low need satisfaction, which better predict optimal functioning and well-being. In this study we aimed to further explore the important theoretical distinction between psychological need thwarting and need satisfaction in the domain of interpersonal relationships. We examined whether the distinction between need satisfaction and thwarting is due to method effects resulting from positive and negative item wording, however, multi-trait multi-method analyses indicated no substantial method effects. Further, we showed that a lack of need satisfaction (i.e., need dissatisfaction) is not equivalent to experiences of need thwarting. In fact, need thwarting better predicted compromised relational functioning compared to need dissatisfaction. Need satisfaction was a stronger predictor of interpersonal competence compared to need thwarting and need dissatisfaction. The current findings underline the importance of assessing need thwarting when examining compromised functioning in interpersonal relationships.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adie, J. W., Duda, J. L., & Ntoumanis, N. (2008). Autonomy support, basic need satisfaction and the optimal functioning of adult male and female sport participants: A test of basic needs theory. Motivation & Emotion, 32, 189–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balaguer, I., González, L., Fabra, P., Castillo, I., Mercé, J., & Duda, J. L. (2012). Coaches’ interpersonal style, basic psychological needs and the well- and ill-being of young soccer players: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Sport Sciences, 30, 1619–1629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K. J., Ntoumanis, N., Ryan, R. M., Bosch, J. A., & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C. (2011a). Self-determination theory and diminished functioning: The role of interpersonal control and psychological need thwarting. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 1459–1473.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K. J., Ntoumanis, N., Ryan, R. M., & Thogersen-Ntoumani, C. (2011b). Psychological need thwarting in the sport context: Assessing the darker sides of athletic experience. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 33, 75–102.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M., & Wu, E. J. C. (2002). EQS 6 for windows user’s guide. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, P., Harris, M., Silove, D., Morgan, A., Wilhelm, K., & Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (1998). Psychosocial factors associated with depression: a study of socially disadvantaged women with young children. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 186, 3–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, P., Hickie, I., Parker, G., Mitchell, P., Wilhelm, K., & Brodaty, H. (1992). Interpersonal sensitivity and the one-year outcome of a depressive episode. Australasian Psychiatry, 26, 156–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, P., & Parker, G. (1989). Development of a scale to measure interpersonal sensitivity. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 23, 341–351.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, P., Parker, G., Barnett, B., Cooney, M., & Smith, F. (1991). Personality as a vulnerability factor to depression. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 106–114.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brandt, M. J., & Wetherell, G. (2012). What attitudes are moral attitudes? The case for heritability. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 3, 172–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buhrmester, D., Furman, W., Wittenberg, M. T., & Reis, H. T. (1988). Five domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 991–1008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buhrmester, M., Kwang, T., & Gosling, S. D. (2011). Amazon’s Mechanical Turk: A new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality, data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J. C., Doherty, M. S., & Potter, R. M. (2007). Social antecedents and consequences of interpersonal rejection sensitivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1376–1385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 233–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, J. R. (2007). Sbdiff.exe [computer software]. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from http://www.abdn.ac.uk/psy086/dept/sbdiff.htm.

  • Crawford, J. R., & Henry, J. D. (2003). The depression anxiety stress scales: Normative data and latent structure in a large non-clinical sample. The British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42, 111–131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeCharms, R. (1968). Personal causation: The internal affective determinants of behavior. New York: Academic press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., La Guardia, J. G., Moller, A. C., Scheiner, M. J., & Ryan, R. M. (2006). On the benefits of giving as well as receiving autonomy support: Mutuality in close friendships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 313–327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eberhart, N. K., & Hammen, C. L. (2006). Interpersonal predictors of onset of depression during the transition to adulthood. Personal Relationships, 13, 195–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eid, M., Lischetzke, T., & Nussbeck, F. W. (2006). Structural equation models for multitrait–multimethod data. In M. Eid & E. Diener (Eds.), Handbook of multimethod measurement in psychology (pp. 283–299). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gagne, M., Ryan, R. M., & Bargmann, K. (2003). Autonomy support and need satisfaction in the motivation and well-being of gymnasts. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15, 372–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, R. M., Brown, D. L., & Boice, R. (2012). Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk website to measure accuracy of body size estimation and body dissatisfaction. Body Image, 9, 532–534.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gillet, N., Fouquereau, E., Forest, J., Brunault, P., & Colombat, P. (2012). The impact of organizational factors on psychological needs and their relations with well-being. Journal of Business and Psychology, 27, 437–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gunnell, K. E., Crocker, P. R. E., Wilson, P. M., Mack, D. E., & Zumbo, B. D. (2013). Psychological need satisfaction and thwarting: A test of basic psychological needs theory in physical activity contexts. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14, 599–607.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harb, G. C., Heimberg, R. G., Fresco, D. M., Schneier, F. R., & Leibowitz, M. R. (2002). The psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure in social anxiety disorder. Behavior Research and Therapy, 40, 961–979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herzberg, D. S., Hammen, C., Burge, D., Daley, S. E., Davila, J., & Lindberg, N. (1998). Social competence as a predictor of chronic interpersonal stress. Personal Relationships, 5, 207–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, K., Lonsdale, C., & Ng, J. Y. Y. (2008). Burnout in elite rugby: Relationships with basic psychological needs fulfillment. Journal of Sports Sciences, 26, 835–844.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ilardi, B. C., Leone, D., Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). Employee and supervisor ratings of motivation: Main effects and discrepancies associated with job satisfaction and adjustment in a factory setting. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23, 1789–1805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Guardia, J. G. (2007). At the end of the day, where do we stand? Daily emotional engagement and need satisfaction within couples. Paper presented at Annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Memphis, TN.

  • La Guardia, J. G., & Patrick, H. (2008). Self-determination theory as a fundamental theory of close relationships. Canadian Psychology, 49, 201–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 367–384.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamke, L. K., Sollie, D. L., Durbin, R. G., & Fitzpatrick, J. A. (1994). Masculinity, femininity and relationship satisfaction: The mediating role of interpersonal competence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11, 535–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leak, G. K., & Cooney, R. R. (2001). Self-determination, attachment styles, and well-being in adult romantic relationships. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 25, 55–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipton, D. N., & Nelson, R. O. (1980). The contribution of initiation behaviors to dating frequency. Behavior Therapy, 11, 59–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manfreda, K. L., Bosnjak, M., Berzelak, J., Haas, I., & Vehovar, V. (2008). Web surveys versus other survey modes. International Journal of Market Research, 50, 79–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., & Grayson, D. (1995). Latent variable models of multitraitmultimethod data. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling (pp. 177–198). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masillo, A., Valmaggia, L. R., Lanna, A., Brandizzi, M., Lindau, J. F., Curto, M., et al. (2014). Validation of the Italian version of interpersonal sensitivity measure (IPSM) in adolescents and young adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 156, 164–170.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, W. A., & Suri, S. (2012). Conducting behavioral research on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Behavior Research Methods, 44, 1–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, R. E., Blankstein, K. R., & Mills, J. S. (1999). Interpersonal sensitivity and social problem-solving: relations with academic and social self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and academic performance. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 23, 587–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonough, M. H., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2007). Testing self-determined motivation as a mediator of the relationship between psychological needs and affective and behavioral outcomes. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 29, 645–663.

    Google Scholar 

  • Musch, J., & Reips, U. D. (2000). A brief history of web experimenting. In M. H. Birnbaum (Ed.), Psychological experiments on the internet (pp. 61–87). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, J. Y. Y., Ntoumanis, N., & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C. (2014). Autonomy support and control in weight management: What important others do and say matters. British Journal of Health Psychology, 19, 540–552.

  • Paolacci, G., Chandler, J., & Ipeirotis, P. G. (2010). Running experiments on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Judgment and Decision Making, 5, 411–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, H., Knee, C. R., Canevello, A., & Lonsbary, C. (2007). The role of need fulfilment in relationship functioning and well-being: A self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 434–457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quested, E., & Duda, J. L. (2010). Exploring the social-environmental determinants of well- and ill-being in dancers: A test of basic needs theory. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 32, 39–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinboth, M., Duda, J. L., & Ntoumanis, N. (2004). Dimensions of coaching behavior, need satisfaction, and the psychological and physical welfare of young athletes. Motivation & Emotion, 28, 297–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Daily well being: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 419–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, J., Irani, L., Silberman, M. S., Zaldivar, A., & Tomlinson, B. (2010). Who are the crowdworkers? Shifting demographics in Amazon Mechanical Turk. In K. Edwards & T. Rodden (Eds.), Proceedings of the ACM conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 2863–2872). New York: ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., Bernstein, J. H., & Brown, K. W. (2010). Weekends, work, and well-being: Psychological need satisfactions and day of the week effects on mood, vitality, and physical symptoms. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 29, 95–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., La Guardia, J. G., Solky-Butzel, J., Chirkov, V. I., & Kim, Y. (2005). On the interpersonal regulation of emotions: Emotional reliance across gender, relationships, and culture. Personal Relationships, 12, 146–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., Sheldon, K. M., Kasser, T., & Deci, E. L. (1996). All goals are not created equal: An organismic perspective on the nature of goals and their regulation. In P. M. Gollwitzer & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior (pp. 7–26). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (2001). A scaled difference Chi square test statistic for moment structure analysis. Psychometrika, 66, 507–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Gunz, A. (2009). Psychological needs as basic motives, not just experiential requirements. Journal of Personality, 77, 1467–1492.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Hilpert, J. (2012). The balanced measure of psychological needs (BMPN) scale: An alternative domain general measure of need satisfaction. Motivation and Emotion, 36, 439–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stebbings, J., Taylor, I. M., Spray, C. M., & Ntoumanis, N. (2012). Antecedents of perceived coach interpersonal behaviors: the coaching environment and coach psychological well- and ill-being. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 34, 481–502.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, E. G., & Ahn, W. K. (2012). Causal imprinting in causal structure learning. Cognitive Psychology, 65, 381–413.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., & De Witte, H. (2010). Unemployed individuals’ work values and job flexibility: An explanation from expectancy-value theory and self-determination theory. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 59, 296–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vidyanidhi, K., & Sudhir, P. M. (2009). Interpersonal sensitivity and dysfunctional cognitions in social anxiety and depression. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 2, 25–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, R. W. (1959). Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review, 66, 297–333.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Psychology, Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Messina, Via Bivona, 98122, Messina, Italy

    Sebastiano Costa

  2. Curtin University, Perth, Australia

    Nikos Ntoumanis

  3. University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

    Kimberley J. Bartholomew

Authors
  1. Sebastiano Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nikos Ntoumanis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kimberley J. Bartholomew
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sebastiano Costa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Costa, S., Ntoumanis, N. & Bartholomew, K.J. Predicting the brighter and darker sides of interpersonal relationships: Does psychological need thwarting matter?. Motiv Emot 39, 11–24 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9427-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9427-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation