Need
for achievement and need for affiliation are two basic social needs/motives of
human beings. These needs are modified by experience, but also have biological
underpinnings. They are said to be relatively stable and persistent behavioral
tendencies.
These
needs are type of goals that people try to attain in their day to day life,
which, in turn, energize and help in channelizing behavior. Such needs become
essential as they affect how an individual may relate to others and may guide
social interactions, and are thus, called social needs.
Need
for achievement or the achievement motivation is the drive to overcome
obstacles and obtain high standards. It is a recurrent preference in thought
and behavior for experiences of attaining excellence. It also refers to a
desire to accomplish difficult tasks. People who have an inclination towards
the achievement motivation are persistent and driven to succeed. They have a
stronger than average desire for feedback on their performance. They also excel
in challenging situations or when confronted with difficult goals; they
generally rise to the occasion.
In
contrast, need for affiliation or the affiliation motivation is the motive to
seek interpersonal relationships. It is a recurrent preference in thought and
behavior for experiences of establishing, maintaining, and restoring positive
affective relationships. It also refers to the need to draw near to and win the
affection of others. People who have an inclination towards the affiliation
motivation want to come together and spend time with others. They are concerned
with establishing and maintaining close interpersonal relationships and report
positive emotions in the presence of others. They also enjoyably cooperate and
reciprocate with an allied other.
Both
need for achievement and need for affiliation are present in an individual. Despite
being contrasting in nature and seemingly opposite, they may not necessarily be
present, in an individual, in a manner that is inversely proportional. It is
very much possible that an individual may have both the needs in equally high
proportions. However, one need may always come in the way of the other (refer
to: Need for Achievement and Need for Affiliation: The Extent to Which an Individual May Have Both Simultaneously).
This
makes it important to, then, try to understand who may be more inclined towards
the need for achievement and who may be more inclined towards the need for
affiliation. A look at some of the personality traits that may be associated with
these two needs would provide some basis to this understanding.
A
personality trait is a distinguishing characteristic feature of an individual. It
is a dimension of personality that categorizes individuals according to the
degree to which they manifest a particular characteristic. Personality traits
are relatively stable over a period of time and show stability across varied
situations. They also tend to influence behavior.
There
are innumerable personality traits. However, personality psychologists now,
largely, agree on the five basic traits that define personality, known as the
five factor model of personality or the Big Five theory of personality. The five
factor model of personality represents five personality traits that combine
together to form personality. These five traits are said to encompass most of
the traits, making them the five core traits of personality.
There
has been a lot of empirical support for the five factor model of personality,
which strengthens the claim of the traits represented by the model to be the
five core traits. Further, these five traits have been found to be universal. The
five traits of the Big Five theory are – Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness,
Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience.
Extraversion
is about the extent of sociability of an individual. People who are high on
extraversion are very sociable, energetic, optimistic, friendly, talkative, and
assertive. They are warm, gregarious, seek excitement, have the tendency to
seek stimulation in the company of others, and involve a range of positive
emotions.
These
aspects of extraversion are clearly associated to the need for affiliation. People
who are inclined towards the affiliation motivation are high on sociability. They
seek interpersonal relationships, desire to have and maintain close relationships,
like to spend time with others, and experience positivity in the presence of
others – all of which are aspects of extraversion. An individual high on
extraversion can be then said to be more inclined towards need for affiliation.
The
trait of agreeableness is the extent of concern for social harmony in an
individual. It relates to the characteristics relevant for social interaction. It
is also about how much others see the individual as being likable. People high
on agreeableness are friendly, warm, considerate, kind, soft-hearted,
altruistic, trustworthy, cooperative, and tender-minded. They are also known to
be straightforward, modest, and involve a certain level of compliance.
The
aspects of agreeableness can also be seen to be related to the need for
affiliation. The affiliation motivation involving being cooperative, restoring positive
affect in relationships, winning the affection of others, and reciprocation,
are all related to being high on agreeableness. This may also be associated
with the aspects of being trustworthy, altruistic, and soft-hearted. All these
aspects help in establishing and maintaining social harmony, which is an integral
part of being agreeable. An individual high on the trait of agreeableness can
then be said to be having more of an inclination towards need for affiliation.
Conscientiousness
is the trait, which is about the degree of self-discipline and control within
an individual. People high on conscientiousness act dutifully, maintain a level
of self-discipline, are well organized, and behave in an orderly manner. They are
cautious, responsible, and highly dependable. They are also competent,
determined, and strive for achievement.
These
aspects of the trait of conscientiousness are clearly related to need for
achievement. Being competent and striving for achievement would obviously make
an individual inclined towards need for achievement. The aspects of conscientiousness
like self-discipline, responsible, organized, and determined are qualities that
enable an individual to achieve excellence, confronting difficult situations,
and overcome challenging situations – all that involves an inclination towards
the achievement motivation. An individual being high on the trait of conscientiousness
can then be said to be more inclined towards need for achievement.
The
trait of neuroticism is about an individual’s emotional stability and personal
adjustment. It involves experiencing a wide range of negative emotions such as
anger, depression, anxiety, self-consciousness, and vulnerability. People high
on neuroticism experience wide mood swings and are volatile in their emotions. On
the other hand, people who are low on neuroticism are emotionally stable. They are
calm, well adjusted, have a certain level of contentment, and are not prone to
extreme maladaptive emotional states.
These
aspects of neuroticism can be related to need for affiliation. The characteristics of being calm,
content, well adjusted, and inability to experience negative emotions that are involved
in low neuroticism are also involved in having an affiliation motivation. An
inclination towards need for affiliation involves maintenance and restoration
of relationships, seeking affection, being cooperative, positive affect, and
liking the company of others, all of which are qualities associated with being
low on neuroticism. An individual being low on neuroticism can then be said to have
more of an inclination towards need for affiliation.
The
trait of openness to experience (or simply openness) is about the extent of
being open to new experiences. It involves an intellectual curiosity, divergent
thinking, and a willingness to consider new ideas and an active imagination. People
high on openness are imaginative, unconventional, and independent thinkers. They
like unusual ideas, are curious, and like to have a wide range of experiences. They
also have a sense of vision, an appreciation of art, are more creative, and
have a high level of self-awareness.
The
aspects of openness can be related to an inclination towards need for
achievement. Need for achievement mainly involves obtaining high standards,
accomplishing difficult tasks, and attaining excellence. This requires a certain
level of curiosity. It also helps in being imaginative and being
unconventional. Trying out tasks in a routine manner may not lead an individual
to attain standards of excellence. It is only when the individual is creative,
has some sort of unconventionality, and is highly imaginative that he/she may
be able to accomplish such goals. Being a visionary enables the individual to
have farsightedness that enables him/her to achieve a sense of excellence. It is
also a high level of self-awareness that is required for an individual to
actually think of such goals and have a drive to achieve it. An individual being high on openness can then be said to be more inclined towards need for
achievement.
The
significance of need for achievement and need for affiliation in day to day
life arouses a curiosity in trying to know the kind of individuals that may be
more inclined towards each of these social motives. The five factor model of
personality can be seen as to providing some of these answers.
Therefore,
people who are high on extraversion and agreeableness, and low on neuroticism
can be said to be more inclined towards need for affiliation. On the other hand,
people who are high on conscientiousness and openness to experience can be said
to be more inclined towards need for achievement.
3 comments:
very nicely explained. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks a lot! Really nice to know that you enjoyed reading it. :)
Conscientiousness is a good trait in managers. Those people usually care about the needs of people they supervise and don't let things slide through the cracks.
Post a Comment