The Effect of Differing Measuring Methods on the Relationship of Motives

Over the past 30 years, few approaches to the study of motivation have generated the volume of research as have studies of the need for achievement, need for affiliation, and need for power. Yet few studies have been concerned with the interdependency of these motives. The goals of the present paper were to determine whether these motives are interdependent, and to compare two different measures of these needs. Ninety men and women from introductory psychology classes served as the subjects. They were administered the TAT and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule test to determine the strength of these motives. The findings suggest that these psychogenic needs are not independent of each other. While the present results show no significant correlation between these needs among men, a significant one emerges for women. There were also significant correlations between the two techniques of measuring the motives, a test involving fantasy materials and a “self report” questionnaire.