Reiss Motivation Profile ®

The Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) is a scientifically based, statistically validated tool that reveals the core motives behind your behaviour. Developed by Professor of Psychology Steven Reiss through extensive studies involving over 7,000 individuals worldwide, RMP is regularly validated and updated. It identifies 16 universal life motives that influence how you think, feel, and act. These motives, which include Power, Curiosity, Status, and Tranquility, are shared by all people but vary in intensity from person to person.

Unlike traditional personality tests or motivational theories based on hierarchies (such as Maslow’s), RMP is built on statistical factor analysis and treats each motive as an independent dimension. Your personal profile reflects the strength of your desire for each motive, creating a unique motivational fingerprint. This provides a clear picture of what drives you compared to others and what drives them compared to you.

The Reiss Motivation Profile® is based on an online questionnaire with 128 statements that measure how strongly you respond to each of the 16 life motives. Your results are analysed and then summarised and presented in a personalised 48-page report describing your unique motivational fingerprint. The report provides clear insight into how these motives influence your behaviour and decision-making, and helps you align your life, work, and relationships with what truly drives you.

The tool is available in 12 languages.

The Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) offers practical clarity by revealing what drives you and NordicAkkord helps you transform this into actionable insights for leadership and development.

Within organisational contexts, Equinor (formerly Statoil) uses the RMP to enhance leadership alignment and self-awareness. As Odd Arne Nissestad, Equinor, notes: ‘the key to success as a leader, is understanding what motivates your team’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BChsL4t7RNE)

The RMP has also been integrated into the Leadership MBA at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) since 2017, where it supports emerging leaders in cultivating self-awareness, authenticity, and motivational resilience.

Understand what drives your team

Book a free, no-obligation consultation to gain insight into what motivates your employees and how you can optimise collaboration, wellbeing and performance. We will show you how RMP can deliver tangible results for your organisation.

The scientific foundation of RMP lies in both psychology and evolutionary biology. Many of the motives have genetic roots and align with core survival behaviours. What makes RMP so unique is its ability to directly link these motives to personality traits and show how your strongest desires shape your habits and goals.

Used in personal development, coaching, leadership, and research, RMP helps you understand yourself and others on a deeper level and is based on data and not guesswork.

RMP is neither a trend nor a quick fix. It is a scientifically validated framework for understanding what truly drives your behaviour. With it, you can make more authentic decisions, improve relationships, and live a life aligned with your deepest values.

Scientific literature.

Reiss, Steven. "Multifaceted Nature of Intrinsic Motivation: The Theory of 16 Basic Desires." Review of General Psychology, vol. 8, no. 3, 2004, pp. 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.8.3.179.

Reiss, Steven. Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. Tarcher/Putnam, 2000.

Reiss, Steven, and Susan M. Havercamp. "Toward a Comprehensive Assessment of Fundamental Motivation: Factor Structure of the Reiss Profiles." Psychological Assessment, vol. 10, no. 2, 1998, pp. 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.10.2.97.

Havercamp, Susan M., and Steven Reiss. “A Comprehensive Assessment of Human Strivings: Test–Retest Reliability and Validity of the Reiss Profile.” Journal of Personality Assessment, vol. 81, no. 2, Oct. 2003, pp. 123–132. Taylor & Francis, https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327752JPA8102_04.

Tuominen, Pipsa P. A., and Päivi Mayor. “Motivation, Stress, Recovery, and Physical Activity of Teachers: Discoveries with the Reiss Motivation Profile® and the Firstbeat® Measurement.” Journal of Public Health, vol. 35, 2024, pp. 461–471. Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-023-01828-1.