Although self-determination theory (SDT) has been well researched across disciplines and cultures over the past three decades (Deci & Ryan, 2017), there has been comparatively little research in gerontology (Ryan & Deci, 2000). For example, the relationships between the three basic needs of autonomy, competence and social connectedness and the reactions to need-threatening scenarios have hardly been investigated to date. This study attempts to close one of these gaps by examining the relationships between these three basic needs and the positive response strategies of valence, intensity and relevance as reactions to need-threatening events in older people. A sample of 136 participants (59% female, 41% male) with an average age of 71 (M=71.45, SD=6.27) was examined.