Personality or temperament types can also be a factor in character's psychological functioning. The actor can push the character slightly away from the normal line to create more drama and more interest. Having some knowledge about these abnormal behaviors will aid in portraying normal characters as well as those at the extremes. The following paragraphs identify a number of personality or temperament types along with the related behaviors.
Personality types fall into two categories. You have the extrovert and the introvert. An extrovert focuses on the outside world. They normally have low arousal/stimulation levels. Behavior is usually directed toward creating change and increasing arousal. The introvert, however, focuses on an inner reality. They have a moderate to high arousal levels and tend to avoid social contact and situations that might further increase arousal. They also maintain more orderly, less impulsive lives.
Behaviors can be further broken down into those that are neurotically abnormal. These have been given medical labels and the following generalizations offer insights about behavioral choices. These behaviors, in a milder form, are found in just about everyone and are thus good resources for building characters.
Manic. A manic thinks he can do anything. They appear optimistic, highly excitable, very social and easily given to emotional outbursts. They can be frivolous and over-talkative, have a short attention span, and their threshold for boredom is low. They pursue what they want, and tend to trample on others with little thought. They may be workaholics, driven by greed, or the belief that everything will work out.
Paranoid. A paranoid person believes people are out to get them. As a result, they tend to be aggressive, desire to be leaders, to have power and prestige over others. They are decisive, stub-born, opinionated, defensive and often competitive. They are also arrogant, conceited, and boastful. Often harbor unreasonable grudges, quick to take offense, very sensitive to any criticism supporting a belief that others dislike them.
Psychopath or Sociopath. The psychopath is one who is mentally unbalanced. The sociopath is one who is antisocial. These two behaviors are often harden criminals who have no moral center. They can be fearless, untrustworthy, out for personal gain, self-preservation, and have little empathy for others. These types of people do not transform during the story.
Personality types fall into two categories. You have the extrovert and the introvert. An extrovert focuses on the outside world. They normally have low arousal/stimulation levels. Behavior is usually directed toward creating change and increasing arousal. The introvert, however, focuses on an inner reality. They have a moderate to high arousal levels and tend to avoid social contact and situations that might further increase arousal. They also maintain more orderly, less impulsive lives.
Behaviors can be further broken down into those that are neurotically abnormal. These have been given medical labels and the following generalizations offer insights about behavioral choices. These behaviors, in a milder form, are found in just about everyone and are thus good resources for building characters.
Manic. A manic thinks he can do anything. They appear optimistic, highly excitable, very social and easily given to emotional outbursts. They can be frivolous and over-talkative, have a short attention span, and their threshold for boredom is low. They pursue what they want, and tend to trample on others with little thought. They may be workaholics, driven by greed, or the belief that everything will work out.
Paranoid. A paranoid person believes people are out to get them. As a result, they tend to be aggressive, desire to be leaders, to have power and prestige over others. They are decisive, stub-born, opinionated, defensive and often competitive. They are also arrogant, conceited, and boastful. Often harbor unreasonable grudges, quick to take offense, very sensitive to any criticism supporting a belief that others dislike them.
Psychopath or Sociopath. The psychopath is one who is mentally unbalanced. The sociopath is one who is antisocial. These two behaviors are often harden criminals who have no moral center. They can be fearless, untrustworthy, out for personal gain, self-preservation, and have little empathy for others. These types of people do not transform during the story.