As I use terms, wishes are like desires, except that they may be vaguer or less well founded or articulated than clear desires, that tend to relate to ends and values.

What human beings do, in so far they do it on purpose, is generally dependent on a desire or wish for something, together with a belief that what they do will further the chances of having their desire or wish satisfied.

Note that the main curb or restriction on wishing and desiring are beliefs , and that beliefs may be more or less rational, well-founded, based on evidence etc. And the main human problem here, apart from stupidity and ignorance, is that most people tend to use wishful thinking to decide what their beliefs are: "I wish it were true, therefore it is true."