motives

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
  • "he acted with the best of motives"
• a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
• a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
• a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
• a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
• a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary or artistic work
• plural of motive

Synonyms

motif, motivation, motive, need, theme