Member-only story
LIFE/LIFE LESSONS
Do You Suspect an Ulterior Motive When Someone Is Nice To You?
It’s worth thinking about
I recall the first time I heard the words “ULTERIOR MOTIVE.”
I was 15 years old and had to look it up because I didn’t know what it meant.
My friend asked me if I thought my uncle had an ulterior motive for wanting me to go to a horse auction with him at night.
He knew I loved horses, and I could not ride mine for a year due to a back injury.
My aunt didn’t seem to mind us going together.
It seemed perfectly fine to me, and I was excited.
Unfortunately, I looked the phrase up AFTER I went with him.
He took advantage of being alone that night to force me to kiss him in the parking lot and ask me lewd questions about my pubic hair. He used a word that starts with a “P” while inquiring about the color.
Sometimes when someone is kind to me or does something nice for me I wonder if they have an ulterior motive.
Do you think this way, too?
An ulterior motive is a hidden agenda, a secret reason that someone does or says something. The expression ulterior motive almost always carries a negative…
