Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief

by Jordan B. Peterson

of what we should do. But we compare our interpretation of the world as it unfolds in the present' to the desired world, in imagination, not to mere expectation; we compare what we have (in interpretation) to what we want, rather than to what we merely think will be. Our goal setting, and consequent striving, is motivated: we chase what we desire, in our constant attempts to optimize our affective states. (Of course, we use our behavior to ensure that our dreams come true; that is healthy "adaptation." But we still compare what is happening to what we want-to what we desire to be-not merely to what we cold-bloodedly expect.)