The great existential psychologist Rollo May called it “intentionality.” It’s the broad arc of purpose the complex creatures we call humans are trying to achieve. “Intentionality” is relevant in fields that may seem far flung from psychology. Like drama. A trained actor determines his character’s “intention” in any given moment by deciphering the clues left by that character’s full arc during the course of the story. That broader scope, the bigger picture, the full arc itself, is the character’s “intentionality.”
It’s useful to apply “intentionality” to understanding human political behavior, too. The modern GOP’s “intentionality” is simple: To pay off their big donors with massive tax cuts. The greedy donors will then continue to funnel their bought & paid for politicians the big bucks so they can be re-elected. The elected often get a “bonus” of a cushy job waiting when he or she (usually he) decides to “cash out.”
GOP House second-in-command Eric Cantor was probably (as Trump would say) SAD! for half a day when he lost a primary for his seat. That was BAD! ― until Cantor realized he could now tap into the goodwill he had built up by voting the way his corporate overlords wanted him to, and land a cushy Wall Street gig at eight times his House salary! Although he was essentially trading power for money (and I can’t tell you which was more important to Cantor’s personal “intentionality”), I suspect by the end of the exchange he was reasonably HAPPY!