Secondary Gain: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Secondary gain refers to an additional benefit a person receives while pursuing their main intention. Identifying and addressing not only the primary intention but also secondary gains is essential for successful personal change.

1. What Is Intention?

An intention is the reason behind a person’s behavior—the core value or need they want to satisfy first and foremost. Every behavior is driven by a specific goal or internal need. For example, the intention behind eating is to feel full; the intention behind morning exercise is to improve health.

2. Intention Is Always Positive for the Person

For the individual, their intention is always positive. It’s what they want or like. However, the behavior they use to fulfill that intention may not be positive for others. For instance, a mugger in a dark alley has a positive intention for himself—pleasure, wealth—but the way he tries to achieve it is harmful to others.

3. Intention Is Internal; Behavior Is Usually External

How can you tell the difference between intention and behavior? Intention answers the question “why,” while behavior answers “how.” Intention is internal—what you want for yourself. Behavior is usually external—what you do in the world. For example, the intention is to feel full; the behavior is buying and eating a pastry.

It’s often hard to pinpoint the intention behind a behavior. Sometimes people mistake behaviors for intentions, like “to explain to others, to meet people, to eat.” These are actions, not intentions. Intentions are internal values you want to satisfy, such as understanding, self-affirmation, fullness, pleasure, love, or attention. Values are usually described with abstract nouns: understanding, satisfaction, pleasure, love, attention. You can clarify further: true love, genuine attention, confirmation of importance.

4. Behavior May Be Ineffective in Satisfying Intention

Behavior can sometimes be ineffective at fulfilling the intention. This just means the person doesn’t know another way, but they’re trying. For example, someone wants attention at a party. A girl sits in the corner looking upset, hoping someone will notice and comfort her. Her intention is positive, but her behavior isn’t effective in this context—no one comes over. She just doesn’t know another way.

5. Secondary Gains: What Other Needs Does the Behavior Satisfy?

Often, a single behavior tries to “kill two, three, or even more birds with one stone”—that is, it satisfies several needs at once. For example, the intention behind eating is to feel full, but it can also bring pleasure, calm (relieve stress), social interaction, and more. These additional needs satisfied by the behavior are called secondary gains. People don’t create the behavior for the secondary gains—they’re like extra bonuses.

Dealing with habits like smoking or overeating is often complicated because these behaviors satisfy many secondary gains. For example, a woman comes home in the evening and starts eating. Her intention is to feel full, but she also gets pleasure, relaxation, and a break from unpleasant thoughts about work (which gives her peace of mind).

A man smokes for pleasure, but also to mark time (finished a task—smoke break), to make social connections (chatting with others in the smoking area), to relax, and to socialize (“Let’s go have a smoke”).

6. How to Identify the Value (Intention)

• Ask: “Why do you need this?”
• “What does this do for you?”
• “Why are you doing this?”

7. How to Identify Secondary Gains

• Ask: “What else does this give you?”
• “What else do you get from this?”
• “What else do you use this for?”

8. When Changing, It’s Important to Find New Ways to Satisfy Secondary Gains

Sometimes, a person changes a behavior but loses access to the positive states that behavior provided. For example, a man who drank heavily is convinced by his wife to get “coded” (a treatment that makes drinking physically impossible). He stops drinking, becomes more socially acceptable, but also loses his cheerfulness, sociability, and drive to fix things around the house. He used alcohol to access these resourceful states. The behavior is gone, but he hasn’t found another way to access those states.

Imagine someone with a painful leg who uses a crutch. Walking with a crutch is inconvenient, but it’s necessary. If someone takes away the crutch and says, “Now you’re free! You can walk like everyone else!” the person tries to walk, but the leg still hurts. Without the crutch, they can’t walk at all, or they find a replacement like a cane. If the person was only using the crutch out of habit and the leg is healed, taking it away is helpful. In short, the real issue—the leg—needs to be treated.

9. The New Way to Satisfy Secondary Gains Should Be Accessible, Effective, and Reliable

For example, someone satisfies the secondary gains of “good mood” and “pleasure” by eating lots of chocolate. This is more socially acceptable than drinking, but not very healthy. They gain weight, and too much chocolate is bad for health. It would be better to find healthier ways to get pleasure and a good mood.

But chocolate is effective (it contains mood-boosting substances), accessible (easy to buy almost anywhere), and reliable (it always works). The only downside is that it’s unhealthy in large amounts. So, when looking for a replacement, it should be just as reliable, effective, and accessible, but healthier.

For example, going to the movies can boost your mood and is effective, reliable, and healthier, but less accessible (you can’t do it at work). Reading jokes can bring pleasure, but sometimes they’re not funny, so it’s less reliable, though accessible and healthy.

What’s the solution? Find several ways to satisfy the intention. For pleasure, you could go to the movies, talk with friends, have sex, take a walk, or think about something pleasant. Each method may not meet all requirements in every situation, but by choosing based on the context, you can get a satisfactory result. Go to the movies on Saturday, take a walk during your lunch break, or daydream about your upcoming vacation after finishing a document.