Psychology - character delivers a verbal slap in the face to stranger

sunandshadow · Mar 23, 2011

I'm looking for some character psychology ideas here. The character in question is a semi-villain: not sadistic, evil, or a personal enemy of the MC, but instead just generally grumpy, neurotic, some variety of bad-tempered and/or a little crazy. The MC meets the semi-villain for the first time, and the semi-villain immediately delivers a sharp personal insult to the MC, making the MC feel as if she has been unexpectedly slapped. The question is why, what could be the semi-villain's motivation for doing this? It's not to impress anyone, nor because the semi-villain knows anything about who the MC is, except any conclusions that can be jumped-to from her appearance. And it's not because the semi-villain is worried about something unrelated, nor was the semi-villain just fighting with someone else.

Drachen Jager · Mar 23, 2011

Perhaps the semi-villian has had the perfect comeback in his mind for the past ten years, just waiting for someone to come along and give the right lead-in. Just because he personally finds it funny and gets a kick from it.

"Hey, have you got a match?"
"Yeah, my ass and your face!"

Chris P · Mar 23, 2011

Was the slap intentional? Perhaps the SV is simply gruff and something he said hit the MC in a vulnerable place. Some people are just like that without meaning to be.

LBlankenship · Mar 23, 2011

As a grumpy and neurotic person myself, it could just be that the MC inadvertently stepped on your villain's last nerve. And your villain may be deficit in the verbal filter department...

Lil · Mar 23, 2011

Could just be he's tired of being patient—or never was—and something about your main character's appearance triggered an adverse reaction. For example, your main character is wearing a ribbon and he decides he's sick of people who advertise their virtue, or your character is a blonde and he's sick of people who think their hair color makes them cute.

backslashbaby · Mar 23, 2011

Just advertising who he is, maybe? That's what my brother does. He's an ass. If you are near him, you are fair game. It's just how he rolls.

He does meet like-minded individuals who will put him down better, on the fly. He likes that. He's not exactly testing folks, though. It's just how he likes to be.

AmsterdamAssassin · Mar 23, 2011

It's difficult being surround by dunces...

Chase · Mar 23, 2011

As Backslashbaby implied about her brother, he doesn't need a reason other than being a semi-villain, an unprincipled person prone to boorish, problematic behavior.

We all know them: Completely self-centered miscreants with no regard for others.

We spend inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to figure out why they do what they do, when there's really no logic to them other than lashing out at anyone in any way they can.

If they don't go completely over the edge into evil, criminal behaviors, they remain among us, the semi-evil bullies of the world.

cbenoi1 · Mar 23, 2011

Tourette Syndrome?
Maybe that semi-villain simply despises smart asses with Ivey-league diplomas. It's a culture thing. Like all MBAs are all evil, all looking for profit over common sense.

-cb

AyJay · Mar 23, 2011

This is fun! 1,001 possibilities.

Being a social worker, I think of a variety of psychological profiles that could fit the bill. Maybe the SV is miserable, heart-broken, emotionally insecure, or physically ailing, and the way he copes is by lashing out at other people. Maybe he has a persecution complex, and expects your MC to be another 'antagonist,' so he cuts her down before she can do damage to him.

Maybe he just quit smoking. I know when I did, some horrible things came out of my mouth that I would never have normally said.

BigWords · Mar 23, 2011

cbenoi1 said:
Tourette Syndrome?

Tourette's isn't merely a propensity to profanity, outbursts, or other stereotypical behavior - some people have twitches, others bark, some spit, and there are many, many layers inbetween the extremes. Most of the examples from film and television seem to be drawn from the more obvious elements. Just because a person suffers from Tourette's doesn't make them more prone to criminality. I would be wary of using it as a reason (or element) of a character's depiction as a villain.

wheelwriter · Mar 23, 2011

sunandshadow said:
I'm looking for some character psychology ideas here. The character in question is a semi-villain: not sadistic, evil, or a personal enemy of the MC, but instead just generally grumpy, neurotic, some variety of bad-tempered and/or a little crazy. The MC meets the semi-villain for the first time, and the semi-villain immediately delivers a sharp personal insult to the MC, making the MC feel as if she has been unexpectedly slapped. The question is why, what could be the semi-villain's motivation for doing this? It's not to impress anyone, nor because the semi-villain knows anything about who the MC is, except any conclusions that can be jumped-to from her appearance. And it's not because the semi-villain is worried about something unrelated, nor was the semi-villain just fighting with someone else.

Okay, motivations. Fear? He's grumpy and neurotic and he feels an immediate attraction. Better to stomp on that right away and reject her before she rejects him.

Boredom? He's just looking for something to do, and she's someone he can play with. He just wants to see her reaction to his dig.

Self-loathing? He feels like crap therefore everyone else must as well.

Narcissism? Just from the way she looks he can tell she's intellectually subordinate, and he wants her to know right away.

Chase · Mar 23, 2011

These are wonderful motives for semi-villainy:

AmsterdamAssassin said:
It's difficult being surround by dunces...

Lashing out at others from an inflated sense of superiority.

cbenoi1 said:
Maybe that semi-villain simply despises smart asses with Ivey-league diplomas.

Compensating for a lack of his or her education by attacks on anyone perceived as more intelligent.

cbenoi1 said:
Like all MBAs are all evil, all looking for profit over common sense.

Known as "the crab theory" due to the tendency of clawed crustaceans in a bucket to pull down others at the brink of escape, this is stereotyping those better off as deserving of scorn.

GeorgeK · Mar 23, 2011

Sometimes crazy is just plain crazy.

Mr Flibble · Mar 23, 2011

Pain

I used to have a teacher who was the grumpiest arse you could ever meet, handing out putdowns all day long. Until he had the hip replacement he'd been waiting for. Suddenly, without the constant pain we hadn't realised he was in, he became the nicest guy.

GeorgeK · Mar 23, 2011

IdiotsRUs said:
Pain

I used to have a teacher who was the grumpiest arse you could ever meet, handing out putdowns all day long. Until he had the hip replacement he'd been waiting for. Suddenly, without the constant pain we hadn't realised he was in, he became the nicest guy.

Yep...been there....still there...it's real.

sunandshadow · Mar 23, 2011

Wow, a lot of great ideas, thanks everyone!

I'm going to use the pain one for a character in a different story, it's perfect for him. For this semi-villain I think I'm going to go with strong dissatisfaction with their own life resulting in lashing out at both people who seem happy (out of jealousy) and people who seem whiny (out of contempt that their problems aren't as bad). Some time I'll have to do a character who just has a brain chemical imbalance toward aggression or irritation too. So many possibilities...

backslashbaby · Mar 24, 2011

That's interesting that you say the brain imbalance. My dad says my brother (the ass

) reminds him so much of his father that way. His temper is exactly the same (and unusual in specific ways), but that grandfather died long before we were born.

I'd never heard of an inherited temper, but I can't say I'm surprised.

I do the pain one, too, btw. I wish I could paste a note on my forehead saying, "It's not you. I swear!"

PinkAmy · Mar 24, 2011

The semi-villian (SV) might be narcissistic - meaning he views life as if it revolves around him. For instance if MC was singing and SV hated the song, SV would perceive MC singing the song to bother him.
he might be anti-social- he likes to hurt other people's feelings, it gives him feelings of power, perhaps even sexual arousal.
maybe he has asperger's- so understanding social clues are foreign to him. He doesn't understand that telling MC she looks fat is hurtful because in his mind, he's just being honest and honesty is a good thing.

Buffysquirrel · Mar 24, 2011

Because he can.

Psychology - character delivers a verbal slap in the face to stranger

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

LBlankenship

VPXV 4EVA

Lil

backslashbaby

*

AmsterdamAssassin

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

cbenoi1

AyJay

Luv's Conscript

BigWords

Geekzilla

wheelwriter

Not a runner, running.

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

GeorgeK

ever seeking

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

GeorgeK

ever seeking

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

backslashbaby

*

PinkAmy

New kid, be gentle!

Buffysquirrel

Psychology - character delivers a verbal slap in the face to stranger

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Professor of applied misanthropy

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

VPXV 4EVA

~~~~*~~~~

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Luv's Conscript

Geekzilla

Not a runner, running.

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

ever seeking

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

ever seeking

Impractical Fantasy Animal

~~~~*~~~~

New kid, be gentle!

*

*