Skip to main content
Wellbeing and positive psychology

Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale.

BPNSFS

What it measures
Self-Determination Theory's three basic psychological needs in BOTH satisfaction and frustration - Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness (6 subscales: each need x satisfaction/frustration).
Length and format
24 (8 per need; 4 satisfaction + 4 frustration each). 5-pt Likert (1 not at all true - 5 completely true) (self-report questionnaire)
Language versions
50+ language/context adaptations; the dominant SDT needs measure internationally
Normative data
Normative data for this instrument is held in our reference library. The per-population breakdown is not published here.
Licence
open with attribution

Licence classification is a research judgement by the catalogue’s authors, not legal advice, and it can be out of date. Confirm terms with the copyright holder or publisher before using an instrument, especially for commercial use.

Reference
Chen, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Beyers, W., et al. (2015). Basic psychological need satisfaction, need frustration, and need strength across four cultures. Motivation and Emotion, 39(2), 216-236.

Choosing between this and the alternatives

We do not deliver this instrument. If you are selecting a measure for a research programme, a national survey or an assessment product, and the question is which instrument, in which language, against which norms and under which licence, that is the work we do.

Talk to us about instrument selection