motivation

n. incentive, drive; act or process of motivating; inspiration; state of being stirred to action

Motivation is a reason or set of reasons for engaging in a particular behavior, especially human behavior as studied in psychology and neuropsychology. The reasons may include basic needs (e.g., food, water, shelter) or an object, goal, state of being, or ideal that is desirable, which may or may not be viewed as "positive," such as seeking a state of being in which pain is absent. The motivation for a behavior may also be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism or morality.
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Motivation, n the stimulus, incentive, or inducement to act or react in a certain way. Purposeful behavior is motivated behavior, which means that [more]Motivation - Community and Resources

Noun
1. 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; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
(synonym) motive, need
(hypernym) psychological feature
(hyponym) life
(derivation) motivate, actuate, propel, move, prompt, incite
2. the condition of being motivated; "his motivation was at a high level"
(hypernym) condition, status
(derivation) motivate, actuate, propel, move, prompt, incite
3. the act of motivating; providing incentive
(synonym) motivating
(hypernym) act, human action, human activity
(derivation) motivate, actuate, propel, move, prompt, incite

n. motivation, incentive, drive, impetus, urge; act or process of motivating