Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration in Japan: Controlling for the Big Five Personality Traits

Abstract

Abstract: The present study investigated the function of satisfaction and frustration of the basic psychological needs – autonomy, competence, and relatedness – that contribute to subjective well-being (life-satisfaction, vitality, and depression) through a back-translation procedure of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS). A total of 564 Japanese undergraduates (356 males, 205 females, three unknown; M age = 18.61 years, SD = 1.48) participated in a questionnaire survey. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the BPNSFS had the same six-factor structure as that found in the original version. Structural equation modeling showed that satisfaction of each of the three needs contributed to the prediction of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and vitality), whereas frustration of each need uniquely contributed to the prediction of ill-being (depressed affect). These results support previous findings found in Belgium, China, the USA, and Peru, confirming that satisfaction of basic psychological needs represents a critical element for healthy functioning across cultures. However, controlling for the effects of the Big Five personality traits indicates the possible over-estimation for the functions of the needs while clarifying these roles.