Etiology of basic psychological needs and their association with personality: A twin study

Self-determination theory postulates that three basic psychological needs - need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness - drive our motivation. However, little is known about the sources of individual differences in basic psychological needs, and about its shared etiology with personality. Self-report data on basic psychological needs and five-factor personality traits were collected in a sample of 668 Croatian twins. Results indicate substantial heritability of basic psychological needs, while environmental influences were non-shared by family members. Three psychological needs substantially correlated with extraversion and neuroticism, and some need- specific overlaps were found with conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness. Phenotypic overlap of the basic psychological needs with personality was mainly due to the common genetic effects, while their environmental influences were largely independent.

Automated summary

Self-determination theory suggests that the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness drive our motivation. This study found that these needs have a significant heritability and are correlated with personality traits, with common genetic effects being the main reason for their overlap.