CHARACTER MOTIVATION THESAURUS

KEEPING WHAT ONE HAS NO MATTER WHAT (DARK)



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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:
Fighting to keep a title, accolade, medal, or position in the face of worthier candidates
Sabotaging another's work to ensure the character's own research is not threatened
Using political weight as a weapon to stay in power
Securing a facility to protect the character's holdings from the rightful owner
Making a loved one a prisoner to keep them from leaving
The character arming him or herself to prevent a bank from taking their home
Fleeing the country
Restricting information or access to something to ensure it cannot be taken
Poisoning a competitor before a championship match
Hiding assets so they cannot be repossessed
Burning a competitor's business to neutralize a threat
Having someone killed to remove competition
Destroying a source of competition (financial, political, strategic, etc.)
Hiding captives in an underground bunker so they will not be discovered

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 a past or present achievement is tied to a character's identity, they will do anything to protect that achievement from being stripped from them. 
Esteem and Recognition: If a character owns something that they believe contributes to their value, they will go to any lengths to avoid having it taken away, since they equate that with their own self-worth.
Love and Belonging: Co-dependent characters need to keep the status quo in their relationships to control the other party and make sure they are always catering to their needs. If another person enters the picture (a new friend, an aging parent who needs support, a co-worker, etc.) who is stealing the partner's time, this would threaten the status quo.
Safety and Security:  A character who believed they were about to be stripped of assets that kept them safe (such as weapons) would do anything to hide those assets so they would not be discovered.
Physiological Needs: If the resources one needs to survive (food, a water source, shelter, etc.) are being threatened, the character would not hesitate to react with violence to protect what's theirs.

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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