This study analyzes the role of psychological needs in Chris Gardner’s process of becoming an emerging person as portrayed in the film The Pursuit of Happyness. The study applies Carl Rogers’ humanistic psychology, particularly the concept of the emerging person, and is supported by Self-Determination Theory proposed by Deci and Ryan. This study focuses on examining how motivational factors, reflected through the fulfillment of basic psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness support Chris Gardner’s psychological development throughout the film.

This study employs a qualitative descriptive research method. The data consist of dialogues, monologues, and narrative scenes taken from the film The Pursuit of Happyness. The data were collected through several steps, including watching the film repeatedly, identifying relevant data, classifying the data, and reducing the data according to the research objectives. A psychological approach to literary analysis is applied using Carl Rogers’ theory and Self-Determination Theory.

The results indicate that Chris Gardner demonstrates key characteristics of an emerging person, including openness to experience, trust in one’s organism, an internal locus of evaluation, and a willingness to be a process. Furthermore, the fulfillment of basic psychological needs functions as a source of motivation that supports his personal growth and resilience. Competence is reflected in his confidence and problem-solving abilities, autonomy is shown through independent decision-making and responsibility, and relatedness appears in his emotional connection with his son and social interactions. These findings show that motivation, supported by basic psychological needs, plays a crucial role in Chris Gardner’s process of becoming an emerging person in The Pursuit of Happyness.

Keywords: Emerging Person, Self-Determination Theory, Basic Psychological Needs, The Pursuit of Happyness