Even though the motivation to feel worthy, to be respected, and to matter to others has been identified for centuries by scholars, the antecedents, consequences, and conditions of its activation have not been systematically analyzed or integrated. The purpose of this article is to offer such an integration. We feature a motivational construct, the quest for significance, defined as the need to have social worth. This need is typically fulfilled by a sense of measuring up to the values one shares with significant others. Our significance-quest theory (SQT) assumes that the need for significance is universal, whereas the means of satisfying it depend on the sociocultural context in which one’s values are embedded. Those means are identified in a narrative supported and validated by one’s network, or reference group. The quest for significance is activated by significance loss and/or the opportunity for significance gain. It motivates behavior that aims to affirm, realize, and/or show commitment to an important value. The SQT is consistent with large bodies of prior research and supported by novel studies in multiple laboratory and field settings. It transcends prior understandings and offers guidance for further study of this essential human motivation.

尽管几个世纪以来学者们已经确定了感到值得、被尊重和对他人重要的动机，但其激活的前因、后果和条件尚未得到系统的分析或整合。本文的目的是提供这样的集成。我们的特点是动机结构，对意义的追求，定义为需要具有社会价值。这种需求通常是通过衡量一个人与重要他人共享的价值观来实现的。我们的意义寻求理论（SQT）假设对意义的需要是普遍的，而满足它的方式取决于一个人的价值观所嵌入的社会文化背景。这些手段在由一个人的网络支持和验证的叙述中确定，或参考组。对重要性的追求是由重要性损失和/或获得重要性的机会激活的。它激发旨在确认、实现和/或显示对重要价值的承诺的行为。SQT 与大量先前的研究一致，并得到多个实验室和现场环境中的新研究的支持。它超越了先前的理解，为进一步研究这种基本的人类动机提供了指导。