CHARACTER MOTIVATION THESAURUS

CONTROLLING OTHERS (DARK)



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HELPFUL TIP:

To understand why your character is driven toward a certain goal, get to know their positive and negative traits, as well as any significant emotional wounds that might be motivating them. Then you can explore the various kinds of conflict that could block them as they move toward their goal.
NOTES:
Similar to ACHIEVING DOMINION OVER SOMEONE, this motivation is about controlling the behavior or the fate of a group. For a more extreme motivation, see OBLITERATING AN ENEMY.

FORMS THIS MIGHT TAKE:
Enslaving a group of people
Making others dependent on the character for survival
Kidnapping, abducting, or invading a home
Terrorism that utilizes hostages
Cyberterrorism (information being held hostage)
Taking over a city in battle
Kidnapping or seizing a group of people against their will
Forcibly confining others
Having political power over the fate of others
Having control over a group's mortality (life and death decision-making)
Financially controlling others (family members, a town, a fiefdom, etc.)
Making decisions that affect the fate of others (soldiers in battle, wartime prisoners, hostages, family members who enjoy freedom and safety only if one wishes it, etc.)

HUMAN NEED DRIVING THE GOAL (INNER MOTIVATION):
There are five basic human needs that, when missing from a character's life, could motivate them to pursue this goal. The following needs are all possibilities, but only one of them should be the primary driver for any given character. For more information on the relationship between human needs and outer motivations, please see​ this ​Character Motivation tutorial.

Self-Actualization: A character who gets off at controlling the fate of others may only feel actualized when this level of domination is achieved. 
Esteem and Recognition: When a character feels a profound level of self-doubt, they may seize control as a way to banish their own feelings of weakness and vulnerability.
Safety and Security: If there's a perception of danger, a character may try to control others to return to a safe status quo.

HOW THE CHARACTER MAY PREPARE FOR THIS GOAL:
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POSSIBLE SACRIFICES OR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GOAL:
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ROADBLOCKS WHICH COULD PREVENT THIS GOAL FROM BEING ACHIEVED:
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TALENTS & SKILLS THAT WILL HELP THE CHARACTER ACHIEVE THIS GOAL:
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WHAT'S AT STAKE IF THIS GOAL ISN'T MET?
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CLICHÉS TO AVOID:
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