There is an increasing appreciation of the significance of motivation in human behavior. "Achievement motivation" stands out as a useful construct for study in the area of motivational research along with the closely related concept of "fear of failure." Many view these two constructs as two sides of the same coin, but research has shown that there are usually negative correlations between these two constructs or no significant correlation at all. Research cited here indicates that teachers may possess some of the characteristics of achievement motivation and fear of failure simultaneously. The most promising explanation for this condition is that there are two dimensions to most motivational constructs: need and value. In existing theory, only need has been considered. If it is discovered that indeed motives have both need and value components, then the work for researchers ahead will be even more complex than was once believed. (MM)