'socially-motivated' originates from the combination of 'socially' and 'motivated', where 'socially' is derived from 'social', meaning 'relating to society', and 'motivated' from 'motivate', meaning 'to provide with a reason to act'.

'socially' evolved from the Latin word 'socialis', and 'motivated' from the Latin 'motivare', eventually forming the modern English term 'socially-motivated'.

Initially, it meant 'driven by social factors', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.