Aspiration (The Sims 2)

Aspiration is the personality attribute that determines a Sim's wants and fears (and possible motives in The Sims 2. Sims will have one of 8 aspirations at any given time.

In the base game, once a Sim's aspiration was set - either at creation or when becoming a teen - it can't be changed. With the first Expansion Pack University, Sims can change aspiration once after their sophomore year. The second EP Nightlife adds the ReNuYu-Senso-Orb, which in effect means a Sim can change their aspiration whenever they want.

Note: Babies have no aspiration.

The aspirations (base game)

 * Grow Up: All toddlers and children have this aspiration, and it cannot be changed. Growing up involves learning essential life skills and (in the case of children) making friends and success at school.
 * Family: Family Sims will want (obviously) to have children, and eventually grandchildren, and for those children to excel in their own lives.
 * Fortune: Fortune Sims want to earn money, gain promotions, marry rich Sims, and put their income towards new household items.
 * Knowledge: Knowledge Sims want to gain skill Skill points, and eventually max out skills. They may even want to experience the abnormal, such as ghosts or alien abduction.
 * Popularity (sometimes referred to as Reputation): Popularity Sims most of all want to accumulate friends and best friends. Parties are also craved by these sims.
 * Romance: Romance Sims want to engage in casual romance, and particularly WooHoo. They are perhaps unique in that their fears are actually wants to most other Sims (marriage, babies etc.)

The aspirations (Nightlife EP)

 * Pleasure: Pleasure Sims' wants are difficult to predict but almost always involve having fun.
 * Grilled Cheese: Only available via a malfunctioning ReNuYu-Senso-Orb reward object, Sims with the Grilled Cheese aspiration will want to eat grilled cheese sandwiches, or talk about them.

Note: Most of the wants and fears mentioned apply to different aspirations as well, but less frequently. For example, family Sims will often have a want to gain a skill point, while knowledge Sims may occasionally want to have a baby.