• Home
  • MHP Services
  • MHP Newsletter
  • Navigating Teletherapy
  • Coping Tools: Stress reduction, sleep, relaxation and more!
    • Relaxation and Mindfulness updated
    • Reducing Stress >
      • Where is my stress coming from?
      • How do you know when you are stressed?
      • Coping with stress when it has already arrived
      • Reducing less healthy coping strategies
    • Sleep Hygiene
    • Getting Involved
    • Building Academic & Personal Resilience
    • Tackling financial challenges
    • Breakup Bootcamp
    • breakup bootcamp worksheet
    • Imposter Syndrome
    • Social Media and Mental Health
  • Building & Maintaining Close Relationships
    • Basic Psychological Needs in Relationships
    • Romantic Relationships
  • Mental Health Concerns
  • Suicidal Thoughts & Behaviors
  • Unique Challenges for Specific Student Groups
    • Freshman Transition
    • 1st Generation College Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Dream scholars, undocumented students & their families
    • LGBTQPIA+ Students
    • International Students
    • STEM Students >
      • Women in STEM
    • Greek Life
    • Athletes
  • Making Changes & Navigating Transitions
  • MHP events & CAPS wellness programs
  • Our team 2022-2023
  • Application to be a MHP
  • Counseling & Psychological Services
  • Contact
  • Learning Center: Check out some of our favorites videos & articles!
  • Wellness Apps & Books
UCSB MHP
  • Home
  • MHP Services
  • MHP Newsletter
  • Navigating Teletherapy
  • Coping Tools: Stress reduction, sleep, relaxation and more!
    • Relaxation and Mindfulness updated
    • Reducing Stress >
      • Where is my stress coming from?
      • How do you know when you are stressed?
      • Coping with stress when it has already arrived
      • Reducing less healthy coping strategies
    • Sleep Hygiene
    • Getting Involved
    • Building Academic & Personal Resilience
    • Tackling financial challenges
    • Breakup Bootcamp
    • breakup bootcamp worksheet
    • Imposter Syndrome
    • Social Media and Mental Health
  • Building & Maintaining Close Relationships
    • Basic Psychological Needs in Relationships
    • Romantic Relationships
  • Mental Health Concerns
  • Suicidal Thoughts & Behaviors
  • Unique Challenges for Specific Student Groups
    • Freshman Transition
    • 1st Generation College Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Dream scholars, undocumented students & their families
    • LGBTQPIA+ Students
    • International Students
    • STEM Students >
      • Women in STEM
    • Greek Life
    • Athletes
  • Making Changes & Navigating Transitions
  • MHP events & CAPS wellness programs
  • Our team 2022-2023
  • Application to be a MHP
  • Counseling & Psychological Services
  • Contact
  • Learning Center: Check out some of our favorites videos & articles!
  • Wellness Apps & Books
UCSB MHP

Basic Psychological Needs

People have basic psychological needs that are important to experiencing well-being.  So, what are these needs all about?
  • RELATEDNESS:  Need to feel significant, cared for by others, and that others like you for who you are
  • AUTONOMY:       Need to feel like your perspective and feelings matter to others and you have a say in what you do
  • COMPETENCE:   Need to be doing things that interest and challenge you, make you feel accomplished, and help you to feel like you are contributing
 
What happens when these psychological needs aren’t met?
Need not fulfilled
How might you experience this need not being fulfilled?
RELATEDNESS
  • No time with close others who are important to you
  • In conflict with important others (e.g., friends, family, partner)
  • Have lost or are losing an important relationship
  • Don’t have relationships that you want (e.g., romantic partner, close friends)
AUTONOMY
  • Don’t feel like others care about your perspective/feelings
  • Feel like you have little choice in what you are doing or how you go about doing things
  • Feel controlled/pressured to do things in a particular way (or else there will be consequences)
COMPETENCE
  • Not able to feel effective at what you are doing (because of no time, lack of skill, overchallenging situation)
  • Not doing things that are interesting and/or challenging to you
  • Others take over for you or treat you as if you are incompetent, even when you are quite capable
Proudly powered by Weebly