Different kinds of motives

The theory

A commenter on the last post on feelings talked about envy. I didn't mean to give there a complete list of feelings, just a list of the most basic ones. Many feelings are a mixture of several basic ones, and I may have missed one or two of the basics (disgust, for example - I didn't put it there because it's so... yucky). There are also feelings that are rather a mix of emotion and thoughts associated with that emotion - envy, for example, is desire combined with knowing what your neighbour has and maybe a couple of ideas about your relative status in the world.

Talking of envy leads quite easily to think about motives. Motives are our guiding lights, those things that tell us in which direction to go. They aren't quite the same things as feelings. Feelings pass quickly, but motives are inclinations that stay with us for a long time. You could say that the difference between feelings and motives is similar to the difference between weather and climate: feelings are what drives you right now, motives are what drives you in the long run, what stays with you and colours all your feelings about something. Some things we call feelings we should rather call motives: love in a long-term relationship is more a motive than a feeling... of course, there are times you feel more romantic than others.

Whenever anybody is doing anything that takes some time to finish, you know that there is a motive behind it. Or two or three. When several people cooperate in the same project, they often assume that their motives are the same. This is often a mistake, and it can lead to endless problems. Once they realise that they have different motives, they may stop trusting each other. People with different motives can work together, but it's much easier if they all know from the start what is driving everyone else.

It was easy to find lists of emotions, and they are all fairly similar. Lists of motives are trickier. Everybody has their own opinions, and not always easy to match to what others say. This is the best that I can do:

• Short-term rewards and punishments:

Based on: Basic needs and emotions

Focus: Immediate activities

Good for: Watching

Relationships it creates: Competition

Basis for collaboration: Threats and rewards

Basis for giving something: Force or manipulation

Basis to keep a boundary: Fear

Loyalty to: Oneself

Reliance on: Oneself

Motive is satisfied when: You get the reward or avoid the punishment

Action will stop when: The threat or reward goes away

• Friendship/love:

Based on: Social relationships

Focus: Immediate results

Good for: Doing

Relationships it creates: Cooperation

Basis for collaboration: Unspoken agreements

Basis for giving something: Liking the person

Basis to keep a boundary: Sympathy

Loyalty to: Specific people

Reliance on: Friends and loved ones

Motive is satisfied when: You enjoy the activity

Action will stop when: It isn't fun for everybody

• Achieving a goal:

Based on: A specific goal

Focus: A plan

Good for: Thinking

Relationships it creates: Cooperation, competition, or independence, depending on what the goal requires

Basis for collaboration: Clear agreements or contracts

Basis for giving something: Requirements of the goal

Basis to keep a boundary: Requirements of the goal

Loyalty to: The goal

Reliance on: Others who share the goal

Motive is satisfied when: The mission is accomplished

Action will stop when: The goal is reached or it becomes clear it's unreachable

• Status, money or career advancement:

Based on: Fixed rules (laws, market rules)

Focus: A plan

Good for: Evaluating

Relationships it creates: Cooperation within teams, competition with other teams

Basis for collaboration: Contracts or fixed customs

Basis for giving something: Getting something in return of similar value

Basis to keep a boundary: Rules, regulations, customs

Loyalty to: Rules

Reliance on: Those who play by the same rulebook

Motive is satisfied when: The deal works as expected or better

Action will stop when: There is no money or the contract is breached

• Ideals:

Based on: What's right

Focus: The ultimate goals

Good for: Choosing

Relationships it creates: Cooperation or one-sided behaviour (giving without expecting anything in return)

Basis for collaboration: A sense of duty

Basis for giving something: What others need

Basis to keep a boundary: Justice or other ideals

Loyalty to: Principles

Reliance on: Those with the same calling/principles

Motive is satisfied when: You are proud of yourself

Action will stop when: Principles are betrayed

The same as it happened with emotions, you may not be sure about what kind of motives somebody has, but this handy list will give you some clear pointers of what may be going on in somebody's head. It's quite indicative if you note when they seem satisfied and when they stop or aren't keen. People seldom do things out of a single motive - but teasing out what are the main ones is often useful.

This can also help you to figure out your own motives, because we don't always know them clearly. If you find yourself procrastinating, it means that your motives aren't very strong.

The practice

You can do the same experiments you did for feelings, but this time round think about motives.

You may think that animals only have the first type of motive (short-term punishment and reward) but most pets are rather social and able to think in terms of goals. Dogs have a pretty sharp understanding of status as well, and that's part of the reason they are easy to train. They "get" that humans should be respected. And you may think that justice is a purely human invention - but actually, chimps will punish those among them that misbehave even when the effort involved isn't really worth it.