Pronunciation: MOH-tivz
Simple meaning
Motives are the reasons, desires, fears, or purposes behind what a person does.
A motive is not only the action itself. It is what is driving the action.
In recovery, motives matter because a person can do the right-looking thing for selfish, fearful, dishonest, or controlling reasons. A person can also do something awkwardly or imperfectly with a sincere desire to grow, repair, and be useful.
Older meaning
Older meanings of motive include a moving cause, reason, purpose, or inward force that leads a person to act.
That matters in Big Book study because motive is connected with movement. Something inside a person is moving them toward action.
The question is not only:
What did I do?
The question is also:
Why did I do it?
What was I seeking?
What was I afraid of?
What did I want to control?
What was I trying to protect?
What was I unwilling to face?
Why this word matters
Motives matter because recovery asks for more than surface honesty.
A person may admit what happened but still avoid looking at why it happened.
They may say the correct words while hiding fear, resentment, pride, self-pity, control, jealousy, selfishness, or dishonesty.
Inventory often reveals that the visible action was only part of the problem. Underneath the action may be a deeper motive.
A person may have wanted approval.
They may have wanted revenge.
They may have wanted security.
They may have wanted to be right.
They may have wanted to avoid shame.
They may have wanted to control another person.
They may have wanted relief without responsibility.
Seeing motives can be uncomfortable, but it is also useful. It helps a person move from vague guilt to clearer truth.
Motives and inventory
Inventory is one of the main places where motives are examined.
A moral inventory does not only ask what other people did. It asks what was going on inside the person taking inventory.
Where was I selfish?
Where was I dishonest?
Where was I self-seeking?
Where was I afraid?
Those questions point directly toward motives.
A person may discover that fear was behind anger.
Pride was behind silence.
Self-pity was behind resentment.
Control was behind “helping.”
Dishonesty was behind image-management.
Inventory helps expose the engine under the hood.
That can be humbling, but it can also be freeing.
Mixed motives
Motives are often mixed.
A person may want to help someone and also want to be admired.
A person may want to make amends and also want quick relief from guilt.
A person may want to tell the truth and also want to manage how others see them.
A person may want to serve and also want control.
Mixed motives do not mean a person is hopeless. They mean the person needs honesty.
Recovery does not require pretending our motives are pure when they are not. It asks us to become willing to see the truth, seek guidance, and grow.
Motives and action
Motives matter, but they should not become an excuse for endless delay.
A person can become so worried about having perfect motives that they avoid taking action.
That can become another form of self-centeredness.
Sometimes the next right action still needs to be taken while motives are being examined.
A person may not feel perfectly humble before making amends.
They may not feel perfectly loving before helping someone.
They may not feel perfectly fearless before telling the truth.
The goal is not perfect inner purity before every action. The goal is honest willingness, guidance, and continued growth.
Common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is to think good results prove good motives.
They do not always.
A person may get a good result while acting from pride, control, fear, or selfishness.
Another misunderstanding is to think bad feelings prove bad motives.
They do not always.
A person may feel afraid, awkward, guilty, or uncertain while still trying to do the right thing.
Motives need to be examined honestly, not guessed carelessly.
A helpful question is:
What am I really after?
Motives and prayer
Prayer can help with motives because many motives are hard to see alone.
A person may sincerely believe they are acting from kindness when they are really acting from control.
They may think they are being honest when they are really trying to hurt someone.
They may think they are being careful when they are really avoiding responsibility.
Prayer, inventory, meditation, and guidance can help reveal what self-protection hides.
The point is not to become obsessed with self-analysis. The point is to become more honest, useful, and God-directed.
Study note
This website works best with a copy of the Big Book in your hand.
As you read, notice where the Big Book asks readers to look beneath conduct into selfishness, dishonesty, self-seeking, fear, resentment, and self-will.
Motives may not always be named directly, but the issue is often nearby.
Recovery asks not only what a person did, but what was moving them.
Big Book study references
Look for this word or idea near pages 64, 67, 70, 72, 86, 87, and 94.
Page references are to the printed Fourth Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Related words
inventory
moral
honesty
truth
character
self-will
selfishness
self-centeredness
fear
resentment
amends
responsibility
action
prayer
meditation
guidance
humility