Two studies (n ¼ 273 and 254) used self-determination theory (SDT) to examine unemployed people's motivation both to search and not to search for a job. The self-regulation questionnaire format (Ryan & Connell, 1989) was used to assess participants' autonomous and controlled job-search motivation (the 'why' of job search) as well as their amotivation for searching. Additionally, both autonomous and controlled motivation for not searching (the 'why not' of job search) was assessed. Results provide validity for these five motivational constructs and indicate, in line with SDT, that the constructs predicted reports of search behaviour, affective experiences, and well-being. The addition of autonomous and controlled motivation for not searching contributed additional predictive power beyond the motivational constructs that focused only on searching. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Job loss and the ensuing period of unemployment can be highly stressful for people. The loss may be a blow to people's egos, even to their identities, and during periods of unemployment people may become agitated or depressed from the financial threat as well as the lack of structure and satisfaction their jobs provided. Over the past 25 years, researchers have documented various negative states linked to unemployment, including depressive symptoms (Winefield & Tiggemann, 1990;Winefield, Winefield, Tiggemann, & Goldney, 1991), anxiety (Donovan & Oddy, 1982), somatic symptoms (Kasl & Cobb, 1980), and lower self-esteem (Hartley, 1980). Unemployment has also been associated with poorer well-being (Banks & Jackson, 1982;De Witte, 1993;Feather, 1990;Vinokur, Caplan, & Williams, 1987), and even with higher rates of child abuse (Justice & Duncan, 1977) and suicide (Argyle, 1989).Nonetheless, individuals do show variability in their reactions to unemployment (De Witte & Wets, 1996;Fryer, 1986;Warr, 1987;Warr & Jackson, 1984). Some people search for new jobs in effective ways while others search less effectively. Some stop searching because they can not cope with the situation while others stop because they decide to spend their time on other activities. As Fryer and Payne (1984) pointed out, although unemployment is debilitating for some people, it can have a liberating effect for others, freeing them from stressful work responsibilities and allowing them to devote their time to alternative activities they find important or interesting.In this article, we attempt to (1) develop and validate a motivational job search questionnaire using motivational concepts derived from self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan, 1985 and (2) predict unemployed individuals' reports of job-search behaviour, unemployment experiences, and well-being. AUTONOMY, CONTROL, AND AMOTIVATIONCentral to SDT is the distinction between autonomous and controlled motivation. Autonomy involves acting with a full sense of volition and endorsement of an action. When autonomously motivated, the perceived locus of causality for action is internal (de Charms, 1968;Heid...