The Relationship between Personality and Motivation: Is there a General Factor of Motivation?
Author(s): Mark Batey, Tom Booth, Adrian Furnham, Hannah Lipman
Abstract: There have been calls from individual difference researchers to connect the multiplicity of constructs within the field. This study investigated relations between personality and motivation. Adult participants (N=192) completed Saucier's (1994) Mini-Markers and the Motivational Orientation Measure (Barrick, Stewart & Piotrowski, 2002). Structural equation modeling indicated that high Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness were significantly related to Status striving, Accomplishment striving and Communion striving respectively (p< .001). Further, a General Factor of Motivation (GFM), not previously located within this measure, was found to explain between 39-64% of variance within the three motivational orientations. The GFM was found to have a significant relationship with Emotional Stability (p< .001). The study provides further evidence for the strong relationships between personality and motivation and adds to support for the hierarchical organization of not only motivation, but of individual difference constructs as a whole. Results are discussed in relation to extant research findings and theory.
Pages: 115-125
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