NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

TEMPERAMENTAL



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

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

Characters with this flaw will be extra sensitive to certain emotions, so think about how events in your story might specifically trigger these feelings to generate compelling tension and conflict. Another idea is to give a supporting character a positive attribute that is an opposite of this flaw, which will get under the skin of both characters and cause friction in their relationship.
DEFINITION:
Marked by unpredictable changes in mood

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Capricious, erratic, mercurial, moody

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Insomnia or poor sleep habits
Prolonged illness or stress
Excessive social or financial responsibilities
A mental disorder (bipolar disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.)
Behavioral issues
High anxiety
Dysfunctional family dynamics
Being bullied or abused
Alcoholism or drug abuse
Being highly creative
Paranoia
Hormonal shifts (menopause, etc.)

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Erratic mood changes
Growing angry when others voice disagreement
Having a low tolerance for the mistakes of others
Venting
Being highly opinionated
Overreacting to slights, comments, and opinions
Outbursts (shouting, laying blame, etc.)
Low-level violence (breaking objects, bumping into things and knocking them over, etc....

ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS:
...

ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:
...

POSITIVE ASPECTS:
...

NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
...

EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE:
...

OVERCOMING THIS TRAIT AS A MAJOR FLAW:
...

TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:
...