3:49:21 
2024-09-03 
795
To achieve the goal, people will imagine a course of action, a "trajectory" of activity that will take them from the current state to the desired final state, the goal. This trajectory will take them through steps (subgoals) that gradually bring them closer to the goal. For example, to get a meal, a possible trajectory is: Get food, cook, serve, and finally eat.
Some behavioral trajectories may be short, such as going out for lunch. Some trajectories may take years, such as gaining access to a prominent social position that satisfies multiple motives (livelihood, recognition, security, power). In societies, and even more so in large societies, the steps in the trajectory that one must take to reach the goal can be complicated and may appear as detours. These "detours" are other activities that have no obvious or immediate connection with the final goal. For example, to reach a high social position, one may have to go through education, hard work, and all the rest.
Activity theory is the field of psychology that studies activity in detail. Let us summarize its relevant aspects for our problem here:
A behavioral trajectory is like a journey on a land with many roads, where at each intersection we choose a particular path (e.g., sandwich or soup?). On this journey, we are driven by motives—urges over which we have limited control—and are directed towards goals (the endpoint the trajectory is aiming for). Goals are easier to change as long as they satisfy the motives. In a nutshell: "Activity is driven by motives and directed towards goals."
The difference between goal and motive is key because, if you want to change behavior, it is relatively easy to change goals, but it is difficult to suppress a motive. Consider thermal comfort: You can change the goal (wear a jumper vs. turn the heat on), but you cannot suppress the need for body heat—unless you satisfy it.
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