Diagnosing the Character’s Mind:

Character Motivations, Flaws,

and Personality By

Jonathan D Thompson

What to look forward to…

Archetypes

Temperament

Trait Theory

Myers BriggsLearning Styles

Character Flaws

Character Motivations

PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE

• ''When you make a character, make them human“

• It doesn’t necessarily mean that the character needs to be a human being or act exactly like one. Exceptions where a character has an inhuman personality can only be made interesting if human nature is understood first.

TELL ‘EM WHAT IS HUMAN NATURE

• "the distinguishing characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling and acting—which humans tend to have naturally, independently of the influence of culture”

• Desires: Biolological, social, abstract

• human nature is unchanging. The things that we want, and the things that we are, are basically the same today as they were when the very first Homo sapiens stood up on the savannahs of Africa a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand years ago.

• Avoiding Puppet characters -a character that is only an extension of the will of a writer and not a fully developed person

WHAT MAKES A CHARACTER FEEL “HUMAN”? (HUMAN NATURE)

• Autonomy

• Individuality

• Flaw’s (Human error) There are two kinds of flaws (your character needs to have both):

1. Skill flaws.

2. Moral flaws.

• Multi-facet ability

• Unpredictability

• Goals and dreams

MECHANISMS OF DEFENSE

Trait Theories

McCrae and Costa’s Big Five Factors

Extraversion: This trait includes characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.

Agreeableness: This personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors.

Conscientiousness: Common features of this dimension include high levels of thoughtfulness, with good impulse control and goal-directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details.

Neuroticism: Individuals high in this trait tend to experience emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness.

Openness: This trait features characteristics such as imagination and insight, and those high in this trait also tend to have a broad range of interests.

Honesty-Humility (H): sincere, honest, faithful, loyal, modest/unassuming versus sly, deceitful, greedy, pretentious, hypocritical, boastful, pompous

Emotionality (E): emotional, oversensitive, sentimental, fearful, anxious, vulnerable versus brave, tough, independent, self-assured, stable

Extraversion (X): outgoing, lively, extraverted, sociable, talkative, cheerful, active versus shy, passive, withdrawn, introverted, quiet, reserved

Agreeableness (A): patient, tolerant, peaceful, mild, agreeable, lenient, gentle versus ill-tempered, quarrelsome, stubborn, choleric

Conscientiousness (C): organized, disciplined, diligent, careful, thorough, precise versus sloppy, negligent, reckless, lazy, irresponsible, absent-minded

Openness to Experience (O): intellectual, creative, unconventional, innovative, ironic versus shallow, unimaginative, conventional

ASHTON AND LEE’S HEXACO SIX-FACTOR MODEL

Cattell’s 16 source traits•According to Cattell, there is a continuum of personality traits. In other words, each person contains all of these 16 traits to a certain degree, but they might be high in some traits and low in others.

Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical

Apprehension: Worried versus confident

Dominance: Forceful versus submissive

Emotional Stability: Calm versus high strung

Liveliness: Spontaneous versus restrained

Openness to Change: Flexible versus attached to the familiar

•Perfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplined•Privateness: Discreet versus open

Reasoning: Abstract versus concrete

Rule Consciousness: Conforming versus non-conforming

Self-Reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependent

Sensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-minded.

Social Boldness: Uninhibited versus shy

Tension: Impatient versus relaxed

Vigilance: Suspicious versus trusting

Warmth: Outgoing versus reserved

Rogers and Maslow: Self ActualizersSelf-actualization- max fulfillment of one’s potential, talents, and abilities.

FULLY FUNCTIONING PERSON

Aware and open to all experiences

Make choices without constraints

or inhibitions

Accept their and others strengths and weaknesses

Focus on problems outside themselves

Social interest/profound

interpersonal relations

Resist social pressures to

think/believe a certain way

Tolerant and accepting of others

personalities

Highly creative and original

Depend on themselves, not

others for satisfactions

Open, direct, natural, rarely hide

their feelings

Temperament

The four temperaments are a system for describing certain aspects of a person's personality, namely the ATTITUDE. They are not meant to describe personality wholly; they ONLY describe the emotional attitude.

As mentioned previously, temperaments are ATTITUDE. They are basically the speed and duration of emotional responses, generally speaking. Some people tend to react quickly to things, whereas others are more slowly aroused emotionally. Some people hold onto emotions for a long time, while others are quick to move on and not dwell on them. The balances determine the temperaments.

They are what the person is like MOST OF THE TIME. It is possible to hide them via acting or willpower, to pretend via deceit or acting that you're something you're not, etc... Or unusual emotions can be expressed when someone is pushed beyond normal limits.

When trying to work out your own temperaments, or those of other people, consider only what is MOSTLY the case. It is easy to look and traits and think 'yes, that applies to me sometimes', because, as previously stated, we are all human and all the things apply to us at some time or another. The temperaments are determined by things that occur MOST OF THE TIME.

Choleric

EXTROVERTED, UNEMOTIONAL, AND TASK-ORIENTED

• Key Strengths: Takes the lead, independent, hard worker, goal-oriented, strong-willed, practical, confident, loves a challenge, passionate, thrives under criticism, determined, an excellent strongman/woman of the team or drill sergeant at the most extreme.

• Key Weaknesses: Hot-tempered, can be cruel, rebellious, stubborn, harsh, insensitive, arrogant, rude, workaholic, often dramatic, bossy, can become psychotic in overbearing situations, vindictive, a warmonger at times.

• Expressive high, responsive low; response's delay short, duration long.

• In a person's life, it corresponds with adolescence and young adulthood (roughly ages 13-35).

• Will often correspond with the Realist when in a Four Philosophy Ensemble.

Melancholic

INTROVERTED, EMOTIONAL, AND TASK-ORIENTED

• Key Strengths: Deep, thoughtful, sensitive, artistic, perfectionist, conservative, faithful to a fault, self-sacrificing, an excellent leader or medic, analytical, organized, practical, detailed, elegant (in the more dignified ways), an effective manipulator of people.

• Key Weaknesses: Pessimistic, moody, vengeful, critical, depressed, impractical (yes, both practical and impractical), insecure, bashful, resentful, self-righteous, has unrealistically high expectations, snobbish, very paranoid, likes to be regarded formally such as Mr/Mrs.

• Expressive low, responsive low; response's delay long, duration long.

• In a person's life, it corresponds to middle-aged adulthood (roughly ages 35-65).

• Will often correspond with The Cynic when in a Four Philosophy Ensemble.

Phlegmatic

INTROVERTED, UNEMOTIONAL, AND PEOPLE-ORIENTED

• Key Strengths: A real sweetheart, thoughtful, dependable, easygoing, patient, accommodating, pleasant, witty, gentle, calm, forgiving, quiet and stealthy, an excellent assistant or spy, a deep poker-face, elegant (in the simpler ways), very compassionate, empathetic to all, a good listener, sympathetic.

• Key Weaknesses: Compromising, shy and docile, indecisive, slacker, lazy, slow, stubborn, indifferent, too yielding, teasing, forgetful.

• Expressive low, responsive high; response's delay long, duration short.

• In a person's life, it corresponds to older adulthood (roughly ages 65 and up).

• Will often correspond with the Apathetic or the Conflicted when in a Four Philosophy Ensemble.

Sanguine

EXTROVERTED, EMOTIONAL, AND PEOPLE-ORIENTED

• Key Strengths: Friendly, cheerful, energetic, Compassionate, loves people, forgiving, confident, charming, talkative, an excellent comedian or sailor, and just plain fun.

• Key Weaknessses: Weak-willed, egotistical, emotionally unstable, gullible, too people-pleasing, shallow, scatterbrained, disorganized, self-absorbed, too talkative, hyperactive and frivolous at times.

• Expressive high, responsive high; response's delay short, duration short.

• In a person's life, it corresponds to young childhood (roughly ages 0-13).

• Will often correspond with the Optimist when in a Four Philosophy Ensemble.

TEMPERAMENT BLENDS

• Everyone is two temperaments. Though it's possible to work out the two temperaments of yourself or others just using the 'pure' definitions above, each blend can be identified.

• Please note that these tend to describe 'unrefined' traits, seen in people of all ages, but as people grow older, they often learn to 'control' certain traits and act more 'maturely'.

• Also note that you should look at the bigger picture, rather than individual traits. If an animal were described, for example, as 'a creature with pointed ears, a long face, herbivore, long, fast legs, a mane on its long neck, short silky coat, hoofed feet', then taking each trait individually, you'd be able to come up with many different animals and it'd tell you nothing, but looking at the traits *as a whole* gives a much more restrictive set of animals to choose from. As such, with these descriptions, think of someone who has 'all' or 'most of' the traits as definitive features of their attitude rather than focusing on the traits specifically and dismissing a description because of one trait being an exception or something.

FOUR PHILOSOPHY ENSEMBLE

classifies members by their outlook, or life philosophy, especially as demonstrated when the Group is faced by a problem or challenge.

The Cynic• Common Attributes: Logic, practicality, criticism, Deadpan Snarker, hostility or

antagonism, caution, prioritizes survival over other goals, skepticism, lacks compassion for people unwilling to make painful choices, disregard for social norms such as rules or politeness, questionable morality, book smart or street smart.

• Common Characterizations: The Spock, Anti-Hero, Knight in Sour Armor, The Snark Knight, The Rival, Only Sane Man, Byronic Hero

• Most common Perspective: Black and Gray Morality, Black and Black Morality

• Most common Temperaments: Choleric and Melancholic.

THE OPTIMIST

• Common Attributes: Determination, loyalty to ideals, Honor Before Reason, morality or friendship over rules, self-sacrifice, feelings over facts, lack of forethought, disregard for consequences, stubbornness, optimism, blind faith, naivety, prioritizes 'the right thing' over survival.

• Common Characterizations: The McCoy, Idiot Hero, The Pollyanna, The Determinator, Messianic Archetype, Plucky Girl, Ideal Hero

• Most Common Perspective: Black and White Morality, White and Grey Morality

• Most common Temperament: Sanguine, sometimes Choleric.

THE REALIST

• Common Attributes: Takes the middle ground or Take a Third Option, mediation, objectiveness, decisiveness, balance between the group's well-being and the goal, personal code, disciplinarian, calm or quiet, leadership, experience, adaptability, willingness to bend the rules.

• Common Characterizations: The Kirk, The Captain, Supporting Leader, Team Mom / Team Dad, The Fettered, Mentor Archetype, Reasonable Authority Figure

• Most Common Perspective: Gray and Grey Morality, Black and Gray Morality note , Morality Kitchen Sink

• Most common Temperaments: Choleric

THE APATHETIC

• Common Attributes: Aloof or busy, uninvolved or neutral, different background or culture from other characters, different goals or priorities than other characters, perhaps enigmatic and lacking apparent goals at all, mysterious, ambivalent or not invested in the outcome, just along for the ride, silly or crazy, inactive, observer, support member.

• Common Characterizations: The Quiet One, Non-Action Guy, Cloud Cuckoolander, Sociopathic Hero, Wild Card, Token Evil Teammate, Supporting Protagonist

• Most Common Perspective: Blue and Orange Morality, It Amused Me, Bystander Syndrome

• Most common Temperament: Phlegmatic.

OCCASIONALLY THE GROUP WILL BE JOINED BY A FIFTH, CALLED THE CONFLICTED

• Common Attributes: Indecisive and conflicted, changeable, doesn't have or voice strong opinions, empathy, prioritizes peace and cohesion among the group, appeasement, self-doubt, lack of confidence, fear, need for approval, dependent, blind trust of others.

• Common Characterizations: Team Pet, Reluctant Warrior, Sad Clown, Hurting Hero, The Ingenue, The Eeyore, The Ditherer

• Most Common Perspective: Grey and Gray Morality

• Most Common Temperament: Phlegmatic or Melancholic.

Carl Jung’s Psychological Types8 types:

•Extraverted thinking- logical, objective, dogmatic

•Extraverted feeling - emotional, sensitive, sociable

•Extraverted sensing - outgoing, adaptable, pleasure-seeking

•Extraverted intuiting- creative, motivator, opportunity seeker

•Introverted thinking-Interest in ideas more than people

•Introverted feeling- reserved yet capable of deep emotion

•Introverted sensing- detached, expressive in aesthetic pursuits

•Introverted intuiting- concerned with unconscious more than reality

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).

Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).

Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).

Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters.

ISTJQuiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty.

ISFJQuiet, friendly, responsible, and conscientious. Committed and steady in meeting their obligations. Thorough, painstaking, and accurate. Loyal, considerate, notice and remember specifics about people who are important to them, concerned with how others feel. Strive to create an orderly and harmonious environment at work and at home.

INFJSeek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions. Want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. Conscientious and committed to their firm values. Develop a clear vision about how best to serve the common good. Organized and decisive in implementing their vision.

INTJHave original minds and great drive for implementing their ideas and achieving their goals. Quickly see patterns in external events and develop long-range explanatory perspectives. When committed, organize a job and carry it through. Skeptical and independent, have high standards of competence and performance – for themselves and others

ISTPTolerant and flexible, quiet observers until a problem appears, then act quickly to find workable solutions. Analyze what makes things work and readily get through large amounts of data to isolate the core of practical problems. Interested in cause and effect, organize facts using logical principles, value efficiency.

ISFPQuiet, friendly, sensitive, and kind. Enjoy the present moment, what’s going on around them. Like to have their own space and to work within their own time frame. Loyal and committed to their values and to people who are important to them. Dislike disagreements and conflicts, do not force their opinions or values on others.

INFPIdealistic, loyal to their values and to people who are important to them. Want an external life that is congruent with their values. Curious, quick to see possibilities, can be catalysts for implementing ideas. Seek to understand people and to help them fulfill their potential. Adaptable, flexible, and accepting unless a value is threatened.

INTPSeek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical.

ESTPFlexible and tolerant, they take a pragmatic approach focused on immediate results. Theories and conceptual explanations bore them – they want to act energetically to solve the problem. Focus on the here-and-now, spontaneous, enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing.

ESFPOutgoing, friendly, and accepting. Exuberant lovers of life, people, and material comforts. Enjoy working with others to make things happen. Bring common sense and a realistic approach to their work, and make work fun. Flexible and spontaneous, adapt readily to new people and environments. Learn best by trying a new skill with other people.

ENFPWarmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency.

ENTPQuick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems. Adept at generating conceptual possibilities and then analyzing them strategically. Good at reading other people. Bored by routine, will seldom do the same thing the same way, apt to turn to one new interest after another.

ESTJPractical, realistic, matter-of-fact. Decisive, quickly move to implement decisions. Organize projects and people to get things done, focus on getting results in the most efficient way possible. Take care of routine details. Have a clear set of logical standards, systematically follow them and want others to also. Forceful in implementing their plans.

ESFJWarmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative. Want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it. Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. Loyal, follow through even in small matters. Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute.

ENFJWarm, empathetic, responsive, and responsible. Highly attuned to the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. Find potential in everyone, want to help others fulfill their potential. May act as catalysts for individual and group growth. Loyal, responsive to praise and criticism. Sociable, facilitate others in a group, and provide inspiring leadership.

ENTJFrank, decisive, assume leadership readily. Quickly see illogical and inefficient procedures and policies, develop and implement comprehensive systems to solve organizational problems. Enjoy long-term planning and goal setting. Usually well informed, well read, enjoy expanding their knowledge and passing it on to others. Forceful in presenting their ideas.

Style of life (Alder) Dominant type

• Their energy (the strength of their striving after personal power) is so great that they tend to push over anything or anybody who gets in their way. The most energetic of them are bullies and sadists, less energetic ones hurt others by hurting themselves (e.g. depressives, alcoholics, drug addicts and suicidal patients).

Leaning type • They are sensitive people who have developed a shell around themselves which protects

them, but they must rely on others to carry them through life's difficulties. When overwhelmed, they develop what we typically think of as neurotic symptoms: phobias, obsessions and compulsions, general anxiety, hysteria, amnesias, and so on, depending on individual details of their lifestyle.

Avoiding type• These have the lowest levels of energy and only survive by essentially avoiding life --

especially other people. When pushed to the limits, they tend to become psychotic, retreating finally into their own personal worlds.

Socially useful type • This is the healthy person, one who has both social interest and energy. These people

believe in doing good for the sake of society. They also believe they have control over their lives.

First Born

• Firstborns bask in their parents' presence, which may explain why they sometimes act like mini-adults. Firstborns are diligent and want to be the best at everything they do. They excel at winning the hearts of their elders

Middle child

• "The middle child often feels left out and a sense of, 'Well, I'm not the oldest. I'm not the youngest. Who am I?' They act as the peacemakers and pace-setters.

Youngest

• Youngest children tend to be the most free-spirited due to their parents' increasingly laissez-faire attitude towards parenting the second (or third, or fourth, or fifth...) time around.

Only Child

• Being the only child is a unique position in a family. Without any siblings to compete with, the only child monopolizes his parents' attention and resources, not just for a short period of time like a firstborn, but forever.

BIRTH ORDER

Karen’s Neurotic Trends

express a person’s needs:

■ Movement toward other people (the compliant personality),

■ Movement against other people (the aggressive personality), and

■ Movement away from other people (the detached personality)

The compliant personality displays attitudes and behaviors that reflect a desire to move toward other people: an intense and continuous need for affection and approval, an urge to be loved, wanted, and protected.

Aggressive personalities move against other people. In their world, everyone is hostile; only the fittest and most cunning survive. To achieve the control and superiority so vital to their lives, they must consistently perform at a high level. By excelling and receiving recognition, they find satisfaction in having their superiority affirmed by others.

People described as detached personalities are driven to move away from other people and to maintain an emotional distance. They must not love, hate, or cooperate with others or become involved in any way. To achieve this total detachment, they strive to become self-sufficient.

G. Kelly’s Personal ConstructsConstructs- person's unique way of looking at life

Kelly’s Corollaries• Construction corollary – We can predict how repeated events will play out• Range corollary-constructs can apply to many people/situations or a few• Individuality corollary-People perceive events in different ways• Experience corollary-We test our constructs against life to see if they stay useful• Organization corollary-constructs are arranged in patterns, according to similarity

and differences• Modulation corollary-New experiences can modify our constructs• Dichotomy corollary- If you have an opinion about honesty, that idea must include

the concept of dishonesty• Fragmentation corollary-Sometimes there are inconsistent or contradictory ones

in the overall system• Choice corollary-We choose the construct that will best predict the outcome• Commonality corollary-even our unique constructs could be similar to our peers• Sociality corollary-we try to understand how others think, and change out

behavior with that

Triarchic theory of intelligence

Sternberg’s theory that there are three kinds of intelligences: analytical, creative, and practical

analytical intelligence: the ability to break

problems down into component parts, or analysis, for problem

solving

creative intelligence: the ability to deal with

new and different concepts and to come up with new ways of

solving problems

practical intelligence: the ability to use

information to get along in life and

become successful

ReferencesThe 12 Common Archetypes: http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html

TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourTemperamentEnsemblehttp://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourPhilosophyEnsemblehttp://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SoYouWantTo/DevelopCharacterPersonalityhttp://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SoYouWantTo/MakeInterestingCharacters

The Four Temperaments: http://temperaments.fighunter.com/?page=about http://www.spundge.com/item/152505/

•Carl Jung & Psychological Types - http://mbtitoday.org/carl-jung-psychological-type/•The 16 MBTI® Types - http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/•ADLERIAN THEORY - 1870-1937 – http://www.changingstates.co.uk/adler.html•Birth Order and Personality- http://www.parents.com/baby/development/social/birth-order-and-personality/•Neurotic Trends- http://cengagesites.com/academic/assets/sites/schultz_ch04.pdf•10th edition Theories of Personality by Duane P. & Sydney Ellen Schultz•Psychology, Third Edition by Saundra K. Ciccarelli & J.Noland White c.2012

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