NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

ANTISOCIAL



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Negative Trait Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

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:
Opposed to social order or the founding principles of society
(Note: antisocial shouldn't be confused with unsociable, which indicates reserved behavior and a reluctance to engage with others.)

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Misanthropic

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
A genetic predisposition
Distrust of social institutions due to negative experiences in the past
A lack of empathy
Antisocial personality disorder
A dysfunctional family life
Insufficient emotional bonding during infancy and/or childhood
A history of abuse and/or neglect
Repeated rejection by others
Having a weak moral compass

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Criminal or gang-related activity
Substance abuse
Rejection of authority figures (parents, police, religious figures, teachers, etc.)
Aggression and violence (toward other people and their property)
Not feeling remorse over one's injurious actions
Narcissism and arrogance
Activities that disregard the well-being of oneself or others
Dishonesty and manipulation
Impulsivity
Instigating or escalating tension in volatile situations
Seeking out unhealthy relationships
...

ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS:
...

ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:
...

POSITIVE ASPECTS:
...

NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
...

EXAMPLE FROM FILM:
...

OVERCOMING THIS TRAIT AS A MAJOR FLAW:
...

TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:
...