In science, motive force is the conjunction term referring to the force or forces that cause something to move or, in a sense, the force that induces motor action. Its use can be found in terms such as electro-motive force, proton motive force, among others. Related or near synonymous terms might include motive power, mechanical effect, or motor factor.

Life thermodynamics

See main: Life thermodynamics

In 1833, English mathematician John Herschel argued that heat is the motive force powering not only people but the planet. [2]

Psychodynamics

See main: Psychodynamics

In a psychological sense, drive is often defined as the motive force or motivational factor behind a person’s actions; or a basic compelling urge. [1] In Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud's On Dreams, a more concise, accessible version of his 1900 publication The Interpretation of Dreams, published shortly thereafter, for instance, the view was outlined that repressed wishes function as the “motive force” in dream formation. [3]

References
1. Drive (definition) – Stedman’s Medical Dictionary (1995), 26th Edition.
2. Schneider, Eric D. and Sagan, Dorion. (2005). Into the Cool - Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life, (pg. 35). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 3. Freud, Sigmund, Strachey, James. (1952). On Dreams, (pgs. 59-60, 62-63, 67, 70). W.W. Norton & Company.