NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

IRRATIONAL



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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:
Unable to reason or think logically

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Illogical, nonsensical

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
A lack of education
Growing up with few opportunities to solve problems or think critically
Mental disorders (personality or anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, etc.)
A prolonged lack of sleep
Living with chronic fear, anxiety, or stress
Drug or alcohol use
A dysfunctional upbringing (family feuding, members who tear one another down, etc.)
Suffering from delusions

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Worrying about things that may or may not happen
Paranoia
Envisioning the worst-case scenario
Panic attacks
Isolating oneself to escape perceived threats
Extreme emotional responses
Tying together ideas that don't go together or make sense
Being controlled by fears and phobias
Perfectionism; behaving judgmentally
Acting unreasonably while believing that one is being completely reasonable
Taking offense when one is accused of being irrational
Having unrealistic expectations
Not being able to think more than a few steps ahead
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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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