FEAR THESAURUS

REJECTION



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Fear Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

A deeply embedded fear often stems from trauma, so it can be helpful to explore emotional wounds that may be a factor. Your character might also become risk-averse, which can create problems in their relationships and limit their fulfillment. And for a character to achieve their story goal, they must overcome any fear-based thinking that's holding them back. The Character Builder is a great resource for pulling all these factors together.
NOTES:
One of our basic human needs is to be loved, wanted, needed, and accepted, so it makes sense that people generally want to avoid rejection. When this fear is taken to an extreme, it can hold the character back in their career, relationships, and their basic enjoyment of life. As a result, characters with this fear often feel stuck where they are, unable to grow.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE:
Being overly agreeable
Exhibiting a strong work ethic (to prove their worth to others)
Being a perfectionist
Being passive aggressive rather than straightforward about their feelings
The character not standing up for themselves
Sticking like glue to the people who accept and love the character
Being conflict-averse
Being shy with new people and in new situations
Taking extra pains with their appearance so they'll always look their best
Being a people-pleaser
Being evasive or dishonest about beliefs and opinions that others may not agree with
Jumping to conclusions about what others are thinking or feeling
Getting their feelings hurt easily
The character keeping mostly to themselves
Avoiding romantic relationships unless they're absolutely sure of the other person's feelings
Underachieving and encouraging low expectations (so people won't expect too much, be disappointed, and reject them)
Having secret hobbies
...

COMMON INTERNAL STRUGGLES:
...

FLAWS THAT MAY EMERGE:
...

HINDRANCES AND DISRUPTIONS TO THE CHARACTER'S LIFE:
...

EMOTIONAL WOUNDS IT COULD STEM FROM:
...

SCENARIOS THAT MIGHT AWAKEN THIS FEAR :
...

HUMAN NEEDS THAT COULD BE IMPACTED:
...

GOALS MADE DIFFICULT BY THIS FEAR:
...

CONFLICT SCENARIOS THAT OFFER GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES:
...