What's the difference between someone who really wants something and someone who just wants to be known to have something?
The difference is that someone who really wants something desires it for personal satisfaction and values it for its inherent qualities, while someone who wants to be known to have something desires it for the recognition and status it brings, rather than for its inherent qualities.
What deeper motivations would be underlying causes of these different reasons for wanting something? If I know someone only wants something because they want to get external validation, what does that say about them as a person?
That they value opinion of others for them very highly also they are not self-confident. They might doubt their abilities and accomplishments.