Robert J Vallerand

• Ph.D.
• Canada Research Chair in Motivational Processes and Optimal Functioning at University of Quebec in Montreal

Passion in education, both for teachers and students, plays a critical role in shaping learning experiences and outcomes. This study explores the interplay between students’ perceptions of their teachers’ passion for the field, perceived social support, and students’ passion for their field of study. Using a mixed-methods approach, we surveyed 355...

In their recent systematic review, van Zyl et al. (2023) summarized contemporary critiques formulated toward the field of positive psychology. Within this research field, considerable differences exist with regard to the rigor of the methodological strategies used in each domain or subfield. These authors have identified six “broad critiques/critic...

Plusieurs études suggèrent que la pratique d’une activité parascolaire favorise un fonctionnement scolaire optimal à l’adolescence. En s’appuyant sur le modèle dualiste de la passion (Vallerand, 2015), cette étude se penche sur les liens entre la passion harmonieuse et obsessive pour une activité parascolaire et le fonctionnement scolaire à l’aide...

This article focuses on the construct of passion as well as its consequences on people’s functioning and resilience. First, the concept of passion is introduced briefly, followed by a presentation of the dualistic model of passion, the dominant theory on passion and associated research. The dualistic model of passion posits that harmonious passion,...

The present research sought to test the overarching hypothesis that the happiest people, that is, people with the highest level of psychological well-being, are those (1) who experience the highest levels of passion (and especially harmonious passion) in several enjoyable everyday life activities, and (2) who display higher levels of autonomous reg...

Dans cet article associé à la médaille d’or de la Société canadienne de psychologie, je présente une vue d’ensemble des recherches sur le concept de la passion que mon équipe de recherche et moi-même avons menées au cours des 20 dernières années. Ces recherches s’inscrivent dans une vision organismique de la condition humaine, dans laquelle les ind...

Objectives This study aimed to examine the association between the incidence of musculoskeletal disorder episodes (MDEs) and obsessive and harmonious passion as well as performance anxiety throughout a dance season, which lasted 38 weeks. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods A total of 118 professional and preprofessional dancers were recruit...

The study aimed to adapt the Optimal Functioning in Society Scale (OFISS) to the Brazilian Portuguese language and estimate the initial validity evidence, based on the internal structure and relationships with other variables and reliability. The sample was composed of228 participants aged between 18 and 72 years (M=32.3, SD=12.4); 71.5% were femal...

This cross-sectional research aimed to investigate a passion transmission model in the field of education as perceived by teachers and students. As per the Dualistic Model of Passion, the tested model posited that teachers' passion for teaching and the autonomy support they provide would influence students’ passion for a discipline through the emot...

Based on the dualistic model of passion, we conducted person-centered analyses to assess how harmonious and obsessive passion for work combine within distinct profiles of employees and document the associations between these profiles and theoretically relevant predictors and outcomes. We also investigate whether the nature of these profiles, and th...

In accordance with the Dualistic Model of Passion, a passion transmission model was examined in which teachers’ passion and autonomy support were hypothesized to influence students’ passion for a subject matter via positive and negative emotions. In Study 1, a path analysis with 208 teachers through an online recruitment showed that teachers’ auton...

Based on the dualistic model of passion, this study relies on person-centered analyses to assess how harmonious passion and obsessive passion for work combine within specific profiles of employees. We also documented the stability of these profiles over time and their associations with theoretically relevant predictors and outcomes, among a sample...

Persistence is generally viewed a unitary construct measuring the extent to which people pursue a goal often in the face of adversity. Here, we propose two different forms of persistence, rigid and flexible, that take origins in different determinants and lead to different activity and life outcomes. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallera...

La pasión y la persistencia son constructos relacionados que se consideran relevantes para la consecución de objetivos. Aunque la pasión ha sido ampliamente analizada desde una perspectiva dualista, pocos estudios sobre persistencia han analizado este constructo atendiendo a su calidad. Este estudio tuvo dos objetivos. El primer objetivo fue analiz...

This research explored the role of passion when facing the COVID-19 pandemic. In three studies, we investigated the role of engaging in a pre-existing passionate activity (Studies1 and 2), developing a new passionate activity (Studies 2 and 3), and letting go from an unavailable passionate activity (Study 3) during the pandemic. Emotions experience...

Passionate music engagement is a defining feature of music fans worldwide. Although benefits to psychosocial well-being are often experienced by fans of music, some fans experience maladaptive outcomes from their music engagement. The Dualistic Model of Passion proposes that two types of passion—harmonious and obsessive—are associated with positive...

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a broad theory of psychological growth and wellness that has revolutionized how we think about human motivation and the driving forces behind personality development. SDT focuses on people’s basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and how social environments that support these needs fos...

This study investigated the role of passion and achievement goals in making self-oriented and team-oriented decisions. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion, it was hypothesized that in the context of collective sports, harmonious passion should lead to the adoption of mostly mastery goals, which in turn should lead to a more team-oriented decisi...

This research presents the conceptualization and validation of a new scale assessing a multidimensional perspective on well-being named “Optimal Functioning in Society” (OFIS; Vallerand, 2013). The concept of OFIS refers to high levels of psychological, physical, and relational well-being, high performance in one’s main field of endeavor, and contr...

Persistence involves the intention to maintain efforts when faced with obstacles and challenges, in order to achieve a specific goal. The Rigid and Flexible Persistence Scale (RFPS) is a self-report measure that assesses persistence that is theoretically derived from the premises of the Dualistic Model of Passion. The aim of the present research wa...

The aim of this study was to analyse the relations between three different communicative teaching styles (gain-framing, loss-framing and amotivational style) and students’ passion and dedication to study after school hours. We recruited 430 students and data was evaluated through path analyses. Results showed that teachers’ communicative style that...

While the benefits to mood and well-being from passionate engagement with music are well-established, far less is known about the relationship between passion for explicitly violently themed music and psychological well-being. The present study employed the Dualistic Model of Passion to investigate whether harmonious passion (i.e., passionate engag...

Objectives Two cross‐sectional (Studies 1, N = 283 and 2, N = 275) and one prospective (Study 3, N = 238) studies investigated the role of passion (for academia) and emotions in the process of resilience in the education domain and in life in general. Method Participants were examined when facing a stressful situation related to their passion for...

Past research has shown that harmonious passion (HP) for work facilitates, and obsessive passion (OP) undermines, work and family outcomes. The current investigation is the first to test the quadripartite approach of passion (Schellenberg et al., Journal of Personality 87:163–180, 2019) with respect to work outcomes. In line with the Dualistic Mode...

Doctoral students often struggle with depression, anxiety, loneliness, and physical concerns, that are directly associated with their programs. Supporting doctoral students’ well-being becomes critical during a global pandemic, when students become further isolated, uncertain, and struggle academically. The present study examined students’ top chal...

The present research investigated a passion transmission model (PTM) from the perspectives of both students (N = 200) and teachers (N = 208). In accordance with the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP), we examined the PTM in which teachers’ passion and autonomy support were hypothesized to influence students’ passion via positiveand negative emotions....

Extreme metal and rap music with violent themes are sometimes blamed for eliciting antisocial behaviours, but growing evidence suggests that music with violent themes can have positive emotional, cognitive, and social consequences for fans. We addressed this apparent paradox by comparing how fans of violent and non-violent music respond emotionally...

The present study fills a void in research on passion by examining for the first time the role of passion in physiological responses. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of passion, and the mediating role of cognitive appraisals, in the psychological and physiological responses to a stressful situation related to one’s passion. Student...

The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities is the foundational scientific reference for the new and rapidly growing field of the Positive Humanities, an emerging interdisciplinary domain of inquiry and practice focused on the arts and humanities in relation to human flourishing. This Handbook comprises 38 chapters authored by nearly 70 leading...

The arts and humanities are prevalent sources of passion. Whether it is through performing them or appreciating the performance of others, the type of passion that individuals have for the arts and humanities can shape a variety of outcomes. Following the model proposed by Tay, Pawelski, and colleagues (2018, 2019), the present chapter documents th...

This paper presents a new perspective on persistence and how it relates to passion and outcomes in the field of education. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand, 2015), we propose the existence of two types of persistence – flexible and rigid that are specific to the activity one is passionate about. Flexible persistence takes origin i...

Murphy (2021) argues that the field of Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology needs to pay more attention to descriptive statistics (“Table 1”; e.g., M, SD, reliability, correlations) when reporting and interpreting results. We agree that authors need to present a clear and transparent description of their data and that descriptive statistics a...

This research examined the role of academic passion and emotions in procrastination. Two studies were conducted with undergraduate students (Study 1: n = 210, 63% male and 37% female, Mage = 26.93 years, SD = 5.94 years; Study 2: n = 303, 59% male and 41% female, Mage = 26.13 years, SD = 7.05 years), including one during the COVID-19 pandemic. The...

Integrating theoretical frameworks on psychological need satisfaction and passion we suggest that a pathway toward behavioral addiction is the development of an obsessive passion for an activity. In two studies with samples of video game players (Study 1) and gamblers (Study 2) we considered need satisfaction and passion as motivational antecedents...

This study aimed to test the role of passion in the cognitive goals pursued in sport and the level of Optimal Functioning in Society (OFIS) derived from such sport engagement. A total of 184 competitive water polo and synchronized swimming athletes completed a questionnaire assessing their passion for their sport, achievement goals, and various sca...

University students’ passion for their studies has been previously demonstrated to be important for both their academic performance and their personal well-being. However, no studies to date have explored the role of passion for one’s studies on both academic and personal outcomes in a single model. The present research sought to determine the role...

La passion est une force motivationnelle qui, selon le modèle dualiste de la passion, se présente sous deux différentes formes d’engagement : harmonieux et obsessif. La passion harmonieuse, de par sa flexibilité et son ouverture, favorise le fonctionnement optimal. En effet, elle permet à la personne de vivre sa vie à plein régime et d’en récolter...

La psychologie positive consiste à l’étude scientifique des facteurs qui mène au bien-être, soit au fonctionnement optimal d’une personne. On remarque toutefois une absence de consensus sur la définition du bien-être. Or, afin de pouvoir le favoriser, il faut pouvoir le définir. Historiquement, le bien-être a été réduit soit à un état de plaisir, s...

The current research demonstrates a novel approach to investigating the role ofperceived teacher and parental autonomy support in college students’ ( N = 970 with376 males, 594 females) passion for science. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passionwhich posits the existence of a harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP) passion, weadopted a 2 x 2 model (Gau...

Procrastination is a maladaptive behaviour that students often experience in academic activities and can result in negative consequences to mental health. The challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute to increase procrastination behaviors in academic activities that the student does not like and in those he/she is passionate. The m...

This chapter presents passion as one of the key elements helping individuals reach their potential. It first defines what “reaching one’s potential” is using a multidimensional perspective called Optimal Functioning in Society (OFIS; Vallerand, 2013). According to this perspective, optimal functioning implies high levels of psychological well-being...

This paper presents a new perspective on persistence and how it relates to passion and outcomes in the field of education. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand, 2015), we propose the existence of two types of persistence - flexible and rigid that are specific to the activity one is passionate about. Flexible persistence takes origin i...

Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion postiting the existence of a harmonious (HP) and obsessive passion (OP), we investigated the effects of teacher and parental autonomy support on college students' passion for science (n = 970). Receiving autonomy support from both sources (i.e., a dual support) was related to higher levels of OP and HP, where...

Emotion regulation entails using specific strategies to manage emotions, impacting on well-being. Research has uncovered important factors that may affect one’s use of emotion regulation strategies. Because passionate individuals experience positive and negative emotions while engaging in the activity that they deeply care about (Vallerand in The p...

Objective: Passion research has focused extensively on the unique effects of both harmonious passion and obsessive passion (Vallerand, 2015). We adopted a quadripartite approach (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010) to test whether physical and psychological well-being are distinctly related to subtypes of passion with varying within-person passion combinati...

Building on the dualistic model of passion Vallerand (The psychology of passion: A dualistic model Oxford University Press, New York, 2005), we examined a hypothesized model whereby harmonious and obsessive passion mediate the relationships of job crafting and leader autonomy support with work engagement and burnout in both Australian and Chinese w...

The dualistic model of sexual passion defines sexual passion as a strong motivational drive to engage in various types of partnered and non-partnered sexual activities and distinguishes two types of sexual passion that lead to distinct consequences, obsessive sexual passion (OSP) and harmonious sexual passion (HSP). The purpose of the present resea...

Research reveals that harmonious passion leads to more positive emotions than obsessive passion, whereas the opposite result is true with respect to negative emotions. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the role of cognitive appraisals as mediators of the passion-emotion relationships. In Study 1, 227 participants engaged in different spo...

This study aimed to examine a positive-oriented model of two types of motivational constructs (i.e., harmonious passion and obsessive passion) for learning a second language (L2) and their relationship to self-growth indicators. The dualistic model of passion was used to explore whether and how the two types of passion play different roles in posit...

We present a psychological model of extremism based on the concept of motivational imbalance whereby a given need gains dominance and overrides other basic concerns. In contrast, moderation results from a motivational balance wherein individuals’ different needs are equitably attended to. Importantly, under moderation the different needs constrain...

Three studies explored the role of attachment styles as determinants of romantic passion and investigated how the interplay between these variables contributes to conflict resolution strategies within a romantic relationship. In Study 1, a secure attachment style was positively, and an avoidant attachment style negatively, associated with harmoniou...

Dedicated athletes, coaches, and exercisers are often referred to as being passionate toward their sport or activity. This chapter reviews the available literature in sport and physical activity to describe the role of passion for sport and physical activity in adaptive and less adaptive outcomes, as well as look at the determinants of passion. In...

This chapter presents the role of passion in education. It first introduces the concept of passion and the predominant theory on passion, the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP; Vallerand, 2010, 2015; Vallerand & Houlfort, 2019). According to this model, passion is a strong inclination for an important, meaningful, and self-defining activity in which...

This longitudinal study (T1 n = 399; T2 n = 279) investigated the moderating role of work motivation in the relationship between job resources (control and recognition) and burnout. Overall, job recognition and control resulted in more burnout for employees with poor‐quality work motivation (high controlled or low autonomous motivation). These resu...

Drawing from the dualistic model of passion for activities (Vallerand et al., 2003), this research investigated the role of passion for social partnered dancing in relationships quality with other dancers as well as outside of the dance community, in a romantic relationship. Study 1 showed that harmonious passion (HP) was related to enjoyment while...

Extradyadic sex in monogamous romantic relationships represents a violation of trust that has been associated with adverse personal and relationship outcomes. Although relational factors related to extradyadic sex have been extensively studied, few individual sexual factors have been identified, and these factors have remained one-dimensional. The...

The new construct of integrated temporal positivity-defined as the positive, adaptive, and dynamic use of the past, the present, and the future-is posited to promote optimal functioning. Based on the dualistic model of passion, the present research sought to test the hypothesis that harmonious passion, more than obsessive passion, triggers a higher...

In empirical research, sexual passion has frequently been conceptualized as the interdependent dynamics experienced with a partner and as following a unidimensional continuum of intensity. A recent theoretical model conceptualized sexual passion as an intrapersonal motivation, which can energize both partnered and non-partnered sexual behaviors (Ph...

We examined the prospective relationship between harmonious passion and post-treatment health outcomes among female breast cancer survivors. Participants reported passion toward a favorite activity, physical pain symptoms, and mental health after their final breast cancer treatment (Time 1, N = 188). Twelve months later (Time 2, N = 148), participa...

Passion is a pervasive concept in the work domain. Workers aspire to be passionate in the hope of finding meaning and satisfaction from their professional life, while employers dream of passionate employees who will ensure organizational performance. Does passion for work matter ? Does passion invariably bring about the anticipated positive outcome...

Passion is a pervasive concept in the field of work. Workers aspire to be passionate in the hope of finding meaning and satisfaction from their professional lives, whereas employers dream of passionate employees to ensure organizational performance. Are these hopes and aspirations supported by scientific knowledge? Is there a darker side to passion...

This chapter focuses on the prevalent model of passion, namely the dualistic model of passion. This model defines passion as a strong inclination toward an activity that people love, value, engage in on a regular basis and is part of identity. Further, the dualistic model of passion posits the existence of two distinct types of passion leading to o...

According to self-determination theory, sexual motivations are cardinal in relation to sexual well-being and functioning. Despite that motivations are thought to occur in combination instead of separately, this proposition has not been explicitly tested in relation to sexual motivations. To address this issue, the present two-study investigation ex...

Introduction. La psychologie positive, une psychologie intégrative. Passion et bien-être (Robert Vallerand et Léa Bragoli-Barzan). Psychologie positive, cognition et neurosciences (Elisabeth Grimaud). Autonomie et contrôle (Yvan Paquet). Economie et sociologie du bonheur. Le modèle des 3I pour appréhender le bonheur (Gaël Brûlé). Economie et psycho...

Objective Four studies examined the relationship between motivational imbalance ― the degree to which a goal dominates other goals ― and political activism. Method Based on the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand, 2015) and recent theorizing on violent extremism (Kruglanski, Jasko, Chernikova, Dugas, & Webber, 2017), we predicted that obsessive...

The present research investigated the role of the personality traits and facets of the Big Five Model in harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP) passion. A total of 284 participants completed an online questionnaire measuring personality traits and facets, HP and OP, and positive and negative affect. Results from correlational and structural equation mo...

Work is a central aspect of most individuals' lives. Not surprisingly, happiness and success on the job are positively linked with life satisfaction and subjective well-being. Pursuing work tasks that align with one's interests, provide a sense of accomplishment, and offer a chance to connect with others can help workers satisfy their psychological...

The Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 756–767, 2003) suggests the existence of two types of passion: harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP). Previous research in positive psychology has shown that passion can be oriented toward activities, as well as romantic partners, and that both are impor...

The dualistic model of passion (Vallerand, 2015) proposes two distinct forms of passion, obsessive (OP) and harmonious (HP). The purpose of this research was to test if emotional reactivity following athletic successes and failures was related to one’s levels of HP and OP for sport. We recruited recreational golfers (N = 115) to report how they typ...

This chapter examines the definitions and current developmental models of expertise. It presents the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP). The chapter proposes a new conceptual model linking passion to the development of expertise. It explores the practical implications of the model and suggests avenues for future research. The model also expands prior...

This article proposes that passion for music is an essential element in explaining the well-being of musicians. Based on the PERMA model of well-being and on research on passion for music, this article posits that being passionate about music, and more specifically holding a harmonious type of passion (HP), reduces music-related anxiety and enhance...

RÉSUMÉ Cette recherche étudie les liens entre motivation, participation aux activités de loisirs et adaptation de personnes âgées au centre d’hébergement dans lequel elles vivent. En accord avec la théorie de l’autodétermination , nous avons testé l’hypothèse que les profils les plus autodéterminés présenteront la meilleure adaptation, la plus gran...

Objectives Grounded in the basic psychological needs theory (BPNT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) and dualistic model of passion (DMP; Vallerand et al., 2003), the aim of the present study was to examine within-person variations in athletes' optimal functioning (i.e., positive and negative affect, athletic satisfaction, and quality of preparation and performan...

This study examined the relationship between harmonious and obsessive passion and athletic burnout and assessed the mediating role of need satisfaction and conflict as well as the role of passion for a second activity on burnout. Using a cross-sectional design, this research was conducted with endurance athletes (N=316) who filled out self-report m...

The purpose of the present study was to propose and test an academic persistence model incorporating the role of passion and persistence in students’ academic performance in sciences, intentions to pursue a science education, and overall psychological wellbeing. The model was based in relation to the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 20...