The monograph is devoted to the study of achievement motivation in conditions of normality and mental pathology. An equilibrium-dynamic model of achievement motivation is proposed, based on the idea of two tendencies - adaptation and transcendence - presented mostly in the tradition of existential psychology. The obtained results of the empirical study confirm the author's model, demonstrate the specificity of achievement motivation in the norm and in different types of mental pathology. The program of motivational balance development is presented, which is applicable both for persons of the normal group and for persons with mental pathology.