Looking at the new version of the EQ-i, an emotional intelligence assessment, brought an idea to mind: all characters could be built around their emotional intelligence strengths and weaknesses. (Though there are now dozens of EI assessments, I'm most familiar with the EQ-i, which has 15 subscales.) Here's how some characters' emotional intelligence might look on the assessment:
Hamlet was probably low on Optimism and Problem Solving but high on Emotional Self-Awareness. Juliette's Reality Testing seems a bit off and her Assertiveness is too high (ever notice the violence of her imagery?) She probably has low Impulse Control, too. If only she had waited there at the end . . .
In contrast, Nick, Gatsby's friend, could have used more Assertiveness, though his Empathy proved to be high enough, as did his Independence in the end. And speaking of Gatsby, he could have used higher Reality Testing himself. In fact, I could make a really strong case that his major flaw was below average Reality Testing.
Tom Sawyer has almost no Social Responsibility and little Empathy, although I bet his Happiness and Optimism are maxed out.
As I was thinking about the emotional intelligence of these characters, it occurred to me that in developing the emotional component of characters, I could use the 15 subscales of EI and actually write down a complete assessment of each character. Then the character's actions would be predictable. For example, if I created a character named Sam, an insurance salesmen with high Optimism and Happiness, average Stress Tolerance, and below average Impulse Control, then I would know that Sam would rarely feel defeated when he didn't get a sale--he'd just keep going until he got one. But, if he got stressed out, he would become impulsive or impatient. If I had a scene in which Sam was running late for an appointment, I might have him suddenly take an unfamiliar side street. Though he might not usually take a chance on unfamiliar roads when he had an appointment, his lower Impulse Control, especially exhibited when he's under stress, could cause him to do that. His character would remain consistent while still opening new plot possibilities.
This method might be too time consuming to use on every character but would probably be extremely valuable for the major characters.
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