There are a lot of words in Russian that have an ambiguous meaning, for example, the word "motive" is ambiguous. Most people know about the musical motif, but somehow overlook its other meanings. Depending on the context in which this term is used, the definition of the word "motive" is different. There are a lot of areas of use: psychology, music, literature, fine arts, molecular biology. And depending on the context, the meanings are strikingly different from each other. It is worth understanding what a motive is. More specifically, in what areas is it appropriate to use this word and what is the difference between different "motives".
Types of motives
Today, as mentioned above, several areas of application are known. Each area has its own meaning of the word "motive". To understand more precisely what this term is, it is necessary to study in more detail both the context of the sentence in which this word is used, and the definition as a whole. Most often, only specialists in a particular field are aware of what the word means specifically in this area. On thein fact, there are many meanings. In psychology, this is something that prompts action, and in biology, a sequence of nucleotides. It is worth dwelling on each of them in more detail, at least elementary to expand your horizons. Perhaps someday this will help you not lose face. So let's get started.
Motive in psychology
In psychology, a motive is an image that is a set of objects valuable to a person (both ideal and material), which determines the direction of a person’s activity, the achievement of which (that is, an image, vision) acts as the meaning of the activity itself. For example, you have an idea about the perfect vacation at sea. From the moment you have a goal to have a good vacation by the sea, everything you do is aimed at achieving this goal. Perfect rest acts as a motive for your activity. Or, in order to find a good job in your speci alty, you try to study from the very first year, study extra at home, read auxiliary literature, and upon completion of training, send out a resume in which you describe all the acquired skills and knowledge. That is, employment acts as a motive for your actions, everything, all your activities are aimed at achieving a specific ideal result - getting a good job directly in your speci alty.
Motive in Literature and Art: Definition
From the point of view of literature, a motif is a part of the plot, image, repeating from one literary work to another,episode. An example is a red maiden in trouble, dragon guards, distant lands, a handsome prince, and the like. Usually certain motifs are characteristic of a particular genre. For example, in fairy tales you can often meet a handsome prince on a white horse, but not a series of crimes that the main character must investigate. In modern fairy tales, this can be found, but this format of the storyline is not yet typical.
In the visual arts, a motif is a recurring pattern (pattern, idea, theme) in various art objects, which at the same time demonstrates the artist's attitude to his work and forms the opinion of the contemplator. For example, repeating patterns on various canvases. Or a recurring storyline. Another example is the splendor of nature on canvases depicting a spring landscape. Or the gloom of autumn days.
Musical motif
In the conventional sense, a motive is a melody, a melody of a piece of music. If you delve into the wilds of terminology, then the motif is a musical fragment that stands out from the entire musical figure. The motive is also called the basis of a musical work. The musical motif is the most memorable part of a piece of music, whether it's a pop song or Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Motive: molecular biology
This word is also known to biologists. The motive is almost unchanged in the process of evolutiona fairly short sequence of amino acids (in proteins) or nucleotides (in deoxyribo- and ribonucleic acids) that has a specific function (biological). It remains virtually unchanged in the course of evolution.
Motive: generalization, conclusions
So, the word "motive" comes from the Latin moveo (to move)", is ambiguous. Depending on the application, the meaning naturally changes. In psychology, a motive is understood as a set of human actions aimed at achieving its goal - an ideal object or vision. In literature, characters moving from work to work, the same storylines, act as a motive. From the point of view of molecular biology, a motif can be called a short sequence of amino acids or nucleotides. A musical motive is a prominent fragment of a piece of music, which is the most memorable. Discussing the motif in the fine arts, we can say that any image, drawing, theme, template, clearly expressing the artist's attitude to his creation, as well as forming the opinion and impressions of the layman.
Thus, we can conclude that, despite the differences in the areas of use, the meanings of the word "motive" in all areas of application have common features. A certain similarity of definitions is associated with the common origin of the word. Having a good understanding of the meaning of the word, you will be able to correctly use it in speech and writing.
