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Hidden Agenda
A particular action's veiled, nonexplicit purpose. For example, an individual may call his parents with the principal intention of asking for money. Embarrassed by the concept of openly begging for finances, the person may (seemingly casually) talk about hardships in paying rent and affording groceries, hoping that his folks will “unexpectedly” offer monetary support. Hidden agendas need not be restricted to conversations alone and can often be a necessary tool in social scientific research. One may wish to study the presence of narcotics in the local community and therefore need to override individuals' natural reluctance to openly share such private information. The researcher may thus ingratiate himself or herself with the local population and only reveal his or her true intentions after gaining the ...