The Relationship Between Meaning, Basic Psychological Needs, and Motivation at Work: A Self-Determination Perspective

In the following dissertation, I explored the predictive influence of meaning in life on autonomous motivation at work and psychological well-being in the presence of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness identified by self-determination theory. The first hypothesis for this correlational study was that meaning in life would distinctly predict autonomous motivation at work beyond autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second hypothesis for this study was that meaning in life would distinctly predict psychological well-being beyond autonomy, competence, and relatedness. I conducted a multiple regression analysis on the data collected from 94 working adults recruited using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants completed a self-report survey that included the Purpose in Life Test, the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale, the World Health Organization Well-Being Index, and the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale. A significant positive relationship was found between meaning in life and both autonomous motivation and psychological well-being after controlling for the effect of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The outcome of this study lends theoretical support to the advancement of self-determination theory by examining meaning in life as a potential basic psychological need. It also has practical implications for organizational leaders and human resource professionals who are invested in developing and implementing strategies that motivate their employees.