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At C3, we practice what we believe. In making The Reiss Profile the tool of choice for our work, we learn it (become a Master), we use it (become a Practitioner) and now we train (Licensed Trainer) others to be Masters.

We have pleasure in sharing the following excerpt from the book titled “The Reiss Motivation Profile”. You will get to know who the author and motivational scientist, Steven Reiss,Ph.D is. He tells it the Reiss Profile way.

Table 5-2. Author’s RMP Results

Curiosity is the most outstanding motive in my life, and it has been this way since I was a child. I am always thinking about something, either a topic in psychology or something happening in my life . I read between two to four newspapers a day. I was in school for 57 uninterrupted years, first as a student and then as a professor. My curiosity did not end when I retired from academia. This is my third book written in retirement. In the last year or so, however, I have slowed down a bit in terms of how many hours I can do intellectual work on a typical day.

Since I am a curious person, ideas matter to me. When I think of who I am, I include specific ideas, such as “I am a person who thought of anxiety sensitivity.“ One of the first things people notice about me is that I make them think, and they react to me partially based on how much they enjoy intellectual activity.

Since I have a strong need for independence, I am sensitive to any limitation of my personal space. I resist anything that might limit my decision making, especially on personal or lifestyle matters. I want to do things my way because I value my individuality. I can be stubborn and difficult at times, not because I want to be stubborn and difficult, but rather because I cherish my individuality.

On the RMP, power is about influence of will and motivates people to make a difference. It motivates me to work long hours. Many friends and colleagues think I work “too much” but they do not consider me a workaholic. I also satisfy my need for power by embracing leadership roles and by being assertive in my business affairs. Further I have a competitive streak (which falls under a high score for vengeance) that motivates my interest in the business world and in sports.

Two RMP results – high idealism and average honor mean I am more motivated to treat people fairly then I am to treat them in accordance with a specific code of ethics. Justice and fairness are very important to me; I am inclined to experience compassion for the needy. When everybody suggests that I should do this or that – “Steven sign this contract, visit your friend in Chicago, give to this or that charity – my first thoughts are, “Would the world be a better place if everybody so acted? Is it just? Is it fair? ”Literally, that is what I automatically start to think.

To satisfy my high need for idealism, I devoted a significant part of my career to helping people with developmental disabilities and autism. Unlike many professionals in that field, I had no family interest. I was motivated by the knowledge I was helping people. I travelled widely training professionals to work with this population. I spoke in 44 U.S. states and a dozen countries. My humanitarian efforts were recognized with five national awards for research, leadership, and clinical services. I eventually decided to leave the field of disabilities to concentrate on my work on motivation. These ideas satisfy more of my needs, including curiosity (because of the effort at intellectual rigor), power (because of the opportunity for achievement), independence (because their uniqueness makes them mine), and idealism (because this work has significant implications for counselling or coaching people and for self-discovery).

Two RMP results – high eating, low physical activity – may explain why I have struggled with my weight most of my adult life. I am motivated to eat too much and to exercise too little.

In discovering who we are, weak basic desires are just as important as our strong ones. My RMP suggests that I place low valuation on four basic desires. I have a weak basic desire for status, which means that I am unimpressed with high society. I respect achievers – great writers, atheletes, business people – but I am not impressed with status seekers. Further I am an introvert or private person (which falls under a weak need for social contact).

Even the dullest observers of human nature notice I am disorganised (which falls under a week need for order). My office is a mess. My files are on the floor with papers falling out of them, and my wastebasket is over-flowing with paper trash. I hate following schedules and have a tendency to arrive for appointments at the last second. I was at least 30 years old when I first bought an appointment book. Despite this major concession to organizing values, I continued to rush appointments at the last minute just as I did before I used an appointment book. Although part of my schedule is now written in my appointment book, I often forget to look in my book.

In summary my RMP shows how I prioritize 16 universal motives and reveals who I am in terms of personality, values, and what is meaningful to me. I am above all a “Thinker”who has happily lived the life of an intellectual. My other outstanding traits are achiever, independent-minded, humanitarian, private, and disorganised. I intrinsically value ideas, achievement, personal freedom, fairness and spontaneity.

For more information on the author and the Reiss Profile, visit http://www.idspublishing.com