False Motive

A pervasive AntiPattern.

You are told that the reason you are doing something is to SaveTheWorld? or to give better service to "the customers" or to HelpMankind? or whatever, when the actual reason is ShareholderEnrichment?.

It isn't that ShareholderEnrichment? is bad, but you aren't given that reason because someone thinks you will object to it.

Your vision of the goal of your work does not match the vision of the person making the rules, so you find yourself encountering barriers that don't make sense in the context of the reason you were given.

This can lead to cynical viewpoints "EverybodyLies?" or "CompaniesAreEvil?" neither of which are true.

The typical MissionStatement is usually a FalseMotive.

Sometimes we adopt a FalseMotive of our own.

Guided by the bombardment of PR that happiness is ThePerfectHome?, ThePerfectCar?, ThePerfectMortgage?, ThePerfectBurger?, or ThePerfectCareer?, we put spurs to our trusty steed and pursue ThePerfectThing?.

Compare what you're doing, and the rules that govern it, to where you think it's going.

Hmmm. I sound a little cynical today.

It seems that the more pernicious of these is the one you do to yourself.