“Questioning our own motives, and our own process, is critical to a skeptical and scientific outlook. We must realize that the default mode of human psychology is to grab onto comforting beliefs for purely emotional reasons, and then justify those beliefs to ourselves with post-hoc rationalizations.” HumansReasonReligionBeliefProcessRealizingPsychologyAtheismEmotionalCriticalPostsMotiveJustifyQuestioningOutlookComfortingSkepticalDefault Author:Steven Novella
“A very tall man once asked a question after my talk. Before beginning his question, he explained that the reason he was standing up is not to be intimidating but rather to make eye contact. His question was essentially "are we really interested in moral motives? Isn't it all about action?". I pointed out to him that it was not enough for him to do the right thing - stand up - but he also wanted me to know that he is doing it from the right motive or for the right reason - to make eye contact, rather than to be intimidating. Voila, moral psychology.” MenReasonEnoughEyeActionMoralPsychologyRight ThingMotiveIntimidatingEye Contact Author:Nomy Arpaly
“Mysteries and thrillers are not the same things, though they are literary siblings. Roughly put, I would say the distinction is that mysteries emphasize motive and psychology whereas thrillers rely more heavily on action and plot.” ActionPsychologyMysteryRelyMotiveDistinctionPlotSiblingThrillers Author:Jon Meacham
“Many doctors are drawn to this profession (psychology) because they have an innate deficiency of insight into the motives, feelings and thoughts of others, a deficiency they hope to remedy by ingesting masses of data.” FeelingsPsychologyMassDoctorsInsightProfessionDataMotiveRemedyInnateDeficiency Author:William S. Burroughs
“The systematic study of mass psychology revealed to students the potentialities of invisible government of society by manipulation of the motives which actuate man in the group.” MenGovernmentStudyPsychologyGroupsStudentsMassInvisibleMotiveManipulationSystematic Book:Propaganda Source: Propaganda
“Psychopaths view any social exchange as a ‘feeding opportunity,’ a contest or a test of wills in which there can be only one winner. Their motives are to manipulate and take, ruthlessly and without remorse.” OpportunitySocialViewsPsychologyTestsWinnerMotiveManipulationInteractionContestsFeedingRemorseManipulateInteractingPsychoPsychopathSocial InteractionInteracting With OthersManipulator Book:Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us Source: Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us