NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

INDECISIVE



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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:
Prone to wavering between courses of action

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Changeable, hesitant, tentative, uncertain, wishy-washy

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
A need to please everyone
Perfectionism
A fear of making a mistake
Being uncertain in one's own mind
Insecurity
Having poor analytical skills
Growing up in a controlling atmosphere where one wasn't allowed to make decisions
Being responsible for past mistakes and being afraid of repeating them

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Taking a long time to come to a decision
Being as indecisive on frivolous decisions as important ones
Making a choice, then changing one's mind
Seeking the advice of many people
Over-analyzing and over-researching options
Nervousness
Watching others anxiously to see how they react to one's decisions
Immediately feeling doubt or regret upon making a decision
Allowing the arguments of others to sway one's decisions
Letting others choose
Letting chance decide (flipping a coin, picking a random number, etc.)
Feigning indifference: "Oh, I don't care," or "I don't have a preference."
Becoming truly indifferent, so as not to have to make any decisions
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ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS:
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ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:
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POSITIVE ASPECTS:
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NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
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EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE:
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OVERCOMING THIS TRAIT AS A MAJOR FLAW:
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TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:
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