CHARACTER MOTIVATION THESAURUS

PURSUING JUSTICE FOR ONESELF OR OTHERS



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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.
FORMS THIS MIGHT TAKE:
Winning a court case and proving oneself or one's client innocent
Enacting a law that will provide equality for a group of people
Changing the status quo (in a country, school, organization, etc.) to bring about justice for someone
Making something available to others that one believes to be a personal right (freedom, education, clean water, the ability to vote, etc.)
Saving someone from being bullied, persecuted, or discriminated against
Bringing an unjust situation to light so it can be addressed
Exposing the deeds of an evil person or entity so justice will be served

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: If the character has a cause that is deeply personal to them and they believe achieving it will give their life deeper meaning or right a wrong, this need would drive them to achieve this goal. 
Esteem and Recognition: Sometimes the character's own mistake or failure leads to unintended consequences. If the character believed they were in part at fault for the situation, they sacrifice their own esteem and self-worth. A chance to claim justice and reverse this mistake is also a way to rebuild this lost worth and esteem, which would spur the character onward to obtain justice and balance the scales. 
Love and Belonging: If an injustice led to the character having to give up his family (say, because they were falsely convicted of a crime or were unfairly deported), they would be driven to get justice so they could regain access to loved ones.  
Safety and Security: If the character was in an unsafe situation, such as living in a dangerous neighborhood, they may become incentivized to collect evidence so the corrupt forces would be held accountable and the community would be secure again. 
Physiological Needs: If a situation became so unstable that it led to life-threatening factors, the character would rebel any way he could to draw attention to what was happening in hopes of changing it. 

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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