Validation and Revision of a German Version of the Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs Scale

In this study we tested the psychometric properties of a German version of the Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs scale (BMNP; Sheldon & Hilpert, 2012), a questionnaire to assess the degree of fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In Study 1, 251 participants completed this questionnaire, as well as measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, depression, loneliness, and personality traits via online assessment. Results indicate that a six-dimensional structure fit the data adequately well. Furthermore, all three needs independently predicted life satisfaction and depression over and above personality traits. Self-esteem was only predicted by relatedness satisfaction and competence dissatisfaction, and loneliness was only predicted by relatedness. In Study 2, we revised the BMPN by replacing one item and largely replicated the results obtained in Study 1. Study 3 showed that the subscales of the BMPN are only moderately stable over 1 week supporting the assumption of the BMPN being a state measure. Together, these results suggest that the revised German version of the BMPN is a reliable and valid measure to assess satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.