How to Write Complex Characters Without the Struggle

Creating Believable Characters: Applying Dreikur’s Four Mistaken Goals

Crafting authentic and relatable characters is crucial for engaging storytelling. Whether you’re writing fiction or a memoir, characters need to be consistent, complex, and rooted in psychological reality. This blog post will explore how to create believable characters using Dreikur’s four mistaken goals, along with tips on integrating a character’s backstory into your narrative.

Understanding Dreikur’s Four Mistaken Goals

Dreikur’s four mistaken goals are concepts from Alfred Adler’s individual psychology, expanded by Rudolf Dreikurs. These goals describe why children might exhibit misbehavior, stemming from their attempts to find belonging and significance. The four mistaken goals are:

1. Attention-Seeking: Children who believe they can only gain a sense of belonging by constantly seeking attention may behave disruptively or excessively needy. They might interrupt, whine, or otherwise try to keep adults’ focus on them.
2. Power: Some children misbehave to gain a sense of control or power. They may engage in power struggles, argue, or refuse to comply with requests to assert their independence and dominance.
3. Revenge: When children feel hurt or mistreated, they might misbehave to retaliate or seek revenge. This can manifest in acts meant to hurt others as they feel wronged themselves.
4. Assumed Inadequacy: Some children give up trying to belong through positive means and instead display helplessness or inadequacy. They may avoid tasks, appear overly shy, or show a lack of effort because they believe they are incapable of succeeding.

Understanding these mistaken goals helps caregivers and educators address the underlying needs driving the misbehavior, rather than just the behavior itself.

Applying Dreikur’s Goals to Character Development

Using Dreikur’s four mistaken goals can help create complex and believable characters by providing motivations for their behavior. Here’s how you can apply each goal to character development:

Attention-Seeking

• Character Traits: This character constantly seeks validation and acknowledgment. They might be charming, outgoing, and often the life of the party but can also be disruptive or overly dramatic when they feel ignored.
• Behavior: They might interrupt conversations, engage in flamboyant actions, or create situations where they are the center of attention.
• Conflict: This need for attention can cause friction with others, leading to conflicts where they feel overlooked or undervalued.
• Development: Over the course of the story, they can learn healthier ways to feel valued and recognized, perhaps finding more genuine connections with others.

Power

• Character Traits: This character strives for control and autonomy. They might be strong-willed, assertive, and often seen as a leader, but they can also be stubborn, argumentative, and resistant to authority.
• Behavior: They engage in power struggles, challenge rules, and seek to assert their dominance in various situations.
• Conflict: Their need for power can lead to clashes with other authoritative figures or peers, creating tension and conflict.
• Development: Throughout the story, they might learn the importance of collaboration and compromise, finding a balance between independence and cooperation.

Revenge

• Character Traits: This character harbors feelings of resentment and seeks to right perceived wrongs. They can be vengeful, cynical, and harbor a deep sense of injustice.
• Behavior: They might engage in sabotage, spread rumors, or take actions designed to hurt those they believe have wronged them.
• Conflict: Their actions can lead to escalating cycles of retaliation, drawing others into their personal vendettas.
• Development: Over time, they might come to understand the destructive nature of their revenge and seek forgiveness or a new path toward healing.

Assumed Inadequacy

• Character Traits: This character feels inherently incapable or unworthy. They might be withdrawn, lack confidence, and avoid challenges.
• Behavior: They may exhibit signs of helplessness, avoid taking risks, or shy away from responsibilities due to a fear of failure.
• Conflict: Their perceived inadequacy can lead to missed opportunities and strained relationships as others try to help or push them beyond their comfort zone.
• Development: The character’s journey could involve overcoming self-doubt, gaining self-confidence, and discovering their own strengths and capabilities.

Integrating these mistaken goals into your character development allows you to create multidimensional characters whose actions and motivations are deeply rooted in psychological needs. This approach not only enhances character realism but also drives the narrative forward through their personal growth and interactions with others.

Creating a Backstory

Your character’s actions must align with their life experiences. A well-crafted backstory informs how they react to various situations, making them more believable. Here are some tips for creating a compelling backstory:

1. Interview Your Character: Grab a notebook and start asking your character questions. What happened to them when they were little? Where did they live? What were their favorite and least favorite foods? These details shape their personality and motivations.
2. Include Key Incidents: Identify significant events that have impacted your character. For example, if your character has trust issues, perhaps they experienced neglect or abuse, or they were often the odd one out because of being neurodiverse.
3. Consistent Reactions: Ensure your character’s reactions are consistent with their backstory. For instance, if they struggle with agoraphobia, saving the day might require them to leave their safe place, but they will likely have repercussions afterward, such as needing to recuperate under a weighted blanket for days.
4. Believable Dilemmas: Characters must face dilemmas that cause inner conflict. An inner dilemma should follow an outer disaster, leading to a decision that causes angst, questioning, or struggle. This creates depth and makes their journey relatable.
5. Internal Change: True character change starts internally. While external events can trigger this change, the transformation must be believable and rooted in the character’s internal struggles and growth.

By taking these steps, you ensure your characters are well-rounded and their development feels organic. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, these principles help you create stories that resonate with readers.

Practical Example: Crafting a Character with Agoraphobia

In the cozy mystery I’m currently editing, the main character is agoraphobic. She doesn’t think she had any trauma in her past (she has). To save the day, she will have to go out of her comfort zone and leave her safe place. However, this will have a fallout, such as needing to stay under her weighted blanket for a few days afterward. Her reactions are consistent with her backstory and trauma, making her a believable character.

Conclusion

Creating believable characters involves understanding their psychological motivations and crafting a backstory that shapes their behavior and development. By applying Dreikur’s four mistaken goals and ensuring your characters’ actions align with their life experiences, you can craft compelling narratives that resonate with readers. Whether you’re writing fiction or a memoir, these principles will help you create authentic and engaging stories.

pin it: