Psychology of Characters: Part 1

Welcome to part one of a short series exploring the psychological development of characters. Over the next few posts, we’ll be diving into strategies to help make our characters’ mental frameworks more authentic.

Today, we’re looking at a helpful tool used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. So, grab your therapist’s notebook, sit your characters down on the couch, and prepare to psychoanalyze!

The Cognitive Triangle

The cognitive triangle is a visual framework that demonstrates the interplay between thoughts, emotions, and behavior. It’s pretty basic stuff, but it can be helpful for anyone feeling stuck in a spin cycle with an overwhelming emotion or destructive behavior.

The basic principle is this: Thoughts lead to feelings; feelings incite behavior; behaviors reinforce thoughts.

It’s significant to note that thoughts can easily be misconstrued as feelings. I feel really dumb is a thought. I feel like a failure. I feel like no one likes me. I feel like I ruin everything. Thought. Thought. Thought.

Thoughts like these throw open the door for the real emotions to come spilling in, much like that scene in The Hobbit where all the dwarves tumble into Bilbo’s peaceful little hobbit hole. I feel really dumb might invite embarrassment to the party. I feel like a failure beckons in shame. I feel like no one likes me tugs loneliness and bitterness over the threshold.

As different emotions make their entrance, they are accompanied by physiological reactions: a pounding heart, a rush of adrenaline, a tightening in the chest, a pit in the stomach, etc. Finally, these emotions, accompanied by the physical reactions, incite behavior.

I think I’m dumb; I’m feeling embarrassed; I decide not to talk to others at the party.

I think I’m a failure; I feel ashamed and sick to my stomach; I stop smiling and work myself to the bone to try to be more successful.

In general, the cognitive triangle offers a logical approach for breaking through an intense emotion. Identifying the thought behind an emotion can be a great starting point for those trying to figure out why their habits are spiraling.

The triangle is also bi-directional. That means that if you want to change the way you’re feeling, you can do something to calm your body down and kindle a more positive emotion. Your action will sway your emotional state, which will suggest a new thought for your mind to chew on.

I went for a walk and listened to my favourite song; I feel hopeful; I think I’m going to be alright.

I took five deep breaths; I feel calm; I think I can handle the situation.

That sort of thing.

Character Connection

Let’s look at how the cognitive triangle can support your character development as a fiction writer.

If you have mapped out even a rough plot for the story, then you know at least some of the behaviors that your characters are going to demonstrate over the course of the book. Take some time to reflect: What emotions are spurring on each of those behaviors? What are the thoughts or beliefs behind those emotions?

Alternatively, you might have a clear idea of what you would like a character to be feeling in a given scene. Try working your way forward and backward from there. What behavior would that feeling genuinely elicit from this particular character? What is the thought whispering in their mind as the emotion rears its ugly—or not-so-ugly—head?

If you want to make your characters authentic right off the hop, then I encourage you to make some intentional choices about the thoughts they entertain. Decide what your character’s misbeliefs will be, and give careful consideration as to what emotions those misbeliefs will inspire. Allow yourself to be surprised by the ensuing behaviors. Real people, after all, are frequently baffling in their seemingly sporadic choices. On the surface, their words and actions are jarring and difficult to discern; but peel back the layers, and there is almost certainly a basic thought fueling each decision.

Exercise

Try jotting down a cognitive triangle for your key characters at different moments in the story. At one corner of the triangle, jot down a character’s behavior, then slide over to another corner and see if you can pinpoint the emotion that inspires their action. In the final corner, write what thought the character is entertaining (consciously or unconsciously) about their identity when they take that action. You may be surprised what you discover.

It’s worth noting that you don’t need to share all of your characters’ thoughts with the reader. After all, we often aren’t aware of our own misbeliefs in real life. We act without parsing out our motivations, and we feel a whole range of emotions without stopping to name them.

You, the author, should have a grasp on where your characters’ behaviors are coming from, but you don’t need to tell the reader. Instead, use your understanding of your characters’ thoughts to write sharp emotional reactions and specific behaviors. In this way, even the most eccentric characters will have that je ne sais quoi that makes them relatable.