The word motive comes from the Latin "movere", which translates as push, set in motion. In any of his activities, a person is driven by some motives.
Motive as a driving force of activity
Motive is internal and external driving forces that induce a person to act in a certain way and strive for a goal. It is conditioned by the desire to satisfy a certain need and gives impulse, energy for the implementation of the plan. Needs can be determined, among other things, by instincts, as well as by emotions like love, desire for revenge, etc.
In order for motives to induce a person to perform some actions, an object of activity must exist and goals must be set that the individual wishes to achieve in the course of his activity. Purpose and motive are not the same thing. The goal is what a person strives for, and the motive is the reason why he strives for it. One goal can have multiple achievement motives. For example, the motives for building a career can be high earnings, self-affirmation in society, the realization of one's talents and abilities, a desire to benefit society, the need to support a family, etc.
If a person has a desire to perform activities and achieve some tasks, this means he has motivation. So, a diligent student, an enthusiastic employee, a persistent athlete, and generally a hardworking person is motivated. Striving for high results is called achievement motivation, striving to lead and command - motivation for power, thirst for new information - cognitive motivation.
If a person's motivation is weak, he will be reluctant to do his job, he will be lazy, he will be inclined to postpone things later, and the results will not be as high as that of a motivated person.
Types of motives
The main consciously grounded motives are beliefs, values, and intentions. Value is a personal attitude to the world based on one's own life experience and the knowledge gained and assimilated. Values underlie the consciousness and activity of an individual, give meaning to life.
Beliefs are the motives of a person's theoretical and practical activities, conditioned by his knowledge and worldview. They are stable and often remain relevant throughout life. Beliefs play a role when an individual is guided in his actions, in addition to his personal desires and needs, by some ideas.
Intention is a deliberate decision to come to a specific goal through well-thought-out means and according to a planned plan. Through intentions, human behavior becomes organized.
Each individual has main and secondary motives, the main ones influence his activity to a greater extent. The motives can be very different: organic (satisfaction of the natural needs of the body), functional (activity), material (creation and acquisition of necessary items), social (interaction with society), spiritual (self-improvement).
The concept of "motivation" is broader. A motive is a stable personal property of an individual, which from the inside prompts him to perform any actions. Motivation (the motivational system of a person) is a set of factors influencing behavior: motives, needs, goals, intentions, beliefs and attitudes, stereotypes, values, interests and drives.