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Maarten Vansteenkiste

Maarten Vansteenkiste

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Psychology
Belgium
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Psychology

D-Index
127
Citations
70115
World Ranking
192
National Ranking
2

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Psychology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Psychology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Psychology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Psychology in Belgium Leader Award

Overview

Maarten Vansteenkiste is affiliated with Ghent University in Belgium and primarily conducts research in psychology and social sciences. Their work spans several key subfields, including social psychology, clinical psychology, experimental and cognitive psychology, applied psychology, as well as sociology and political science.

Their research focuses on a variety of topics related to human motivation and well-being. These include:

  • Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
  • Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Youth Development and Social Support
  • Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
  • Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Education, Achievement, and Giftedness

Vansteenkiste's publication record features studies in respected journals such as Motivation and Emotion, Motivation Science, Teaching and Teacher Education, and others. Some recent papers include:

  • Basic psychological need theory: Advancements, critical themes, and future directions (2020) in Motivation and Emotion
  • A classification of motivation and behavior change techniques used in self-determination theory-based interventions in health contexts (2020) in Motivation Science
  • When teachers learn how to provide classroom structure in an autonomy-supportive way: Benefits to teachers and their students (2020) in Teaching and Teacher Education
  • Building a science of motivated persons: Self-determination theory's empirical approach to human experience and the regulation of behavior (2021) in Motivation Science
  • The role of teachers' motivation and mindsets in predicting a (de)motivating teaching style in higher education: a circumplex approach (2020) in Motivation and Emotion

They frequently collaborate with various researchers. Notable coauthors include Bart Soenens, Sofie Morbée, Joachim Waterschoot, Leen Haerens, and Omer Van den Bergh.

Their work is often published in venues such as:

  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • Motivation and Emotion
  • Journal of Adolescence
  • Motivation Science
  • Current Psychology

Best Publications

  • Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Goal Contents in Self-Determination Theory: Another Look at the Quality of Academic Motivation

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Willy Lens;Edward L. Deci

  • Basic psychological need satisfaction, need frustration, and need strength across four cultures

    Beiwen Chen;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Wim Beyers;Liesbet Boone

  • Motivating learning, performance, and persistence: the synergistic effects of intrinsic goal contents and autonomy-supportive contexts.

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Joke Simons;Willy Lens;Kennon M. Sheldon

  • On Psychological Growth and Vulnerability: Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration as a Unifying Principle

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Richard M. Ryan

  • Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction

    Anja Van den Broeck;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Hans De Witte;Willy Lens

  • Capturing autonomy, competence, and relatedness at work: Construction and initial validation of the Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction scale

    Anja Van den Broeck;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Hans De Witte;Bart Soenens

  • Motivational Profiles from a Self-Determination Perspective: The Quality of Motivation Matters.

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Eline Sierens;Bart Soenens;Koen Luyckx

  • Basic psychological need theory: Advancements, critical themes, and future directions

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Richard M. Ryan;Bart Soenens

  • A theoretical upgrade of the concept of parental psychological control: Proposing new insights on the basis of self-determination theory

    Bart Soenens;Maarten Vansteenkiste

  • The development of the five mini-theories of self-determination theory: an historical overview, emerging trends, and future directions

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Christopher P. Niemiec;Bart Soenens

  • The Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale: Validation evidence in seven languages and nine countries

    Marylène Gagné;Jacques Forest;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Laurence Crevier-Braud

  • Capturing ruminative exploration: Extending the four-dimensional model of identity formation in late adolescence

    Koen Luyckx;Seth J. Schwartz;Michael D. Berzonsky;Bart Soenens

  • Self-determination theory and basic need satisfaction: Understanding human development in positive psychology.

    Edward L. Deci;Maarten Vansteenkiste

  • Experiences of Autonomy and Control Among Chinese Learners: Vitalizing or Immobilizing?.

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Mingming Zhou;Willy Lens;Bart Soenens

  • On the relations among work value orientations, psychological need satisfaction and job outcomes: A self-determination theory approach.

    Maarten Vansteenkiste;Bart Neyrinck;Christopher P. Niemiec;Bart Soenens

  • Antecedents and Outcomes of Self-Determination in 3 Life Domains: The Role of Parents' and Teachers' Autonomy Support

    Bart Soenens;Maarten Vansteenkiste

  • Not all job demands are equal: Differentiating job hindrances and job challenges in the Job Demands-Resources model.

    Anja Van den Broeck;Nele De Cuyper;Hans De Witte;Maarten Vansteenkiste

  • Conceptualizing parental autonomy support: adolescent perceptions of promotion of independence versus promotion of volitional functioning.

    Bart Soenens;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Willy Lens;Koen Luyckx

  • The synergistic relationship of perceived autonomy support and structure in the prediction of self-regulated learning.

    Eline Sierens;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Luc Goossens;Bart Soenens

  • Do perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching relate to physical education students' motivational experiences through unique pathways? Distinguishing between the bright and dark side of motivation

    Leen Haerens;Nathalie Aelterman;Maarten Vansteenkiste;Bart Soenens

Frequent Co-Authors

Bart Soenens
Bart Soenens Ghent University
Willy Lens
Willy Lens KU Leuven
Nathalie Aelterman
Nathalie Aelterman Ghent University
Leen Haerens
Leen Haerens Ghent University
Athanasios Mouratidis
Athanasios Mouratidis National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Koen Luyckx
Koen Luyckx KU Leuven
Stijn Van Petegem
Stijn Van Petegem Université Libre de Bruxelles
Luc Goossens
Luc Goossens KU Leuven
Bart Duriez
Bart Duriez KU Leuven
Hans De Witte
Hans De Witte KU Leuven

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