motivation, motive, need (noun)

the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

"we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"

motif, motive (noun)

a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music

motif, motive (adj)

a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration

motive(a), motor (adj)

causing or able to cause motion

"a motive force"; "motive power"; "motor energy"

motivative(a), motive(a), motivating (adj)

impelling to action

"it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive pleas"; "motivating arguments"

motive (Noun)

An incentive to act; a reason for doing something; anything that prompted a choice of action.

motive (Noun)

A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated.

motive (Verb)

To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

motive (Adjective)

Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power.

motive (Adjective)

Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Motive

A motive, in law, especially criminal law, is the cause that moves people to induce a certain action. Motive, in itself, is not an element of any given crime; however, the legal system typically allows motive to be proven in order to make plausible the accused's reasons for committing a crime, at least when those motives may be obscure or hard to identify with. The law technically distinguishes between motive and intent. "Intent" in criminal law is synonymous with mens rea, which means no more than the specific mental purpose to perform a deed that is forbidden by a criminal statute, or the reckless disregard of whether the law will be violated. "Motive" describes instead the reasons in the accused's background and station in life that are supposed to have induced the crime. Motive is particularly important in prosecutions for homicide. First, murder is so drastic a crime that most people recoil from the thought of being able to do it; proof of motive explains why the accused did so desperate an act. Moreover, most common law jurisdictions have statutes that provide for degrees of homicide, based in part on the accused's mental state. The lesser offence of voluntary manslaughter, for example, traditionally required that the accused knowingly and voluntarily kill the victim; in addition, it must be shown that the killing took place in the "sudden heat of passion," an excess of rage or anger coming from a contemporary provocation, which clouded the accused's judgment. Homicides motivated by such factors are a lesser offense than murder "in cold blood."