The Great Motivator Shrek
In any story, something must drive the plot, and one of the most common is character motivation, which is the primary reason why a character makes something happen. When this motivation is not apparent (a character does something without explanation) readers and viewers get upset or confused.
Let’s write a basic example. Bob kisses Sally. In our society, kissing somebody is a big deal because it is a declination of intense emotion and can range from a timid expression of friendship to a hostile attack. The problem is that there is no context for the action. Was Bob messing around? Did he love Sally, and this is his first attempt to express his desire? Is Bob crazy? The fundamental question is: Why did Bob kiss Sally?
I wanted to discuss motivation types but did not want to examine a writing motivation guide because that would focus on story elements instead of real people. Instead, I located a psychology article that listed ten standard motivations.
Let’s write a basic example. Bob kisses Sally. In our society, kissing somebody is a big deal because it is a declination of intense emotion and can range from a timid expression of friendship to a hostile attack. The problem is that there is no context for the action. Was Bob messing around? Did he love Sally, and this is his first attempt to express his desire? Is Bob crazy? The fundamental question is: Why did Bob kiss Sally?
I wanted to discuss motivation types but did not want to examine a writing motivation guide because that would focus on story elements instead of real people. Instead, I located a psychology article that listed ten standard motivations.
External Incentives
This motivation is a core part of our personality: money, sex, power, and control. If you work for me, I will give you food.
Avoiding Losses
This motivation is a bit sneaky. We try to keep what we have.
Hitting Rock Bottom
A tripping point occurs where we force ourselves to make changes.
Intrinsic Motivation
A basic desire to make ourselves better.
Maintaining a Positive Self-Image.
People have an extreme desire to fit in and feel good about themselves. This is why we give money to homeless people. Teenagers live in a world fill with this motivation.
Self-Validation
There is a primal part of us that has to prove we are correct.
Curiosity
What is inside the mystery box? Curiosity drives us to do crazy, dangerous, and stupid things. The opposite of curiosity is boredom or disengagement.
Autonomy
People like to feel in control and will do anything to stay in control.
Current Mood
People like to blend in with their peers. For example, when people feel threatened, they are much more responsive to negative information.
Other People
We care about other people’s opinions and desire their respect.
Revenge
Getting even is an enormous driving factor in life and story. I wrote an entire blog on this motivation, and it was the inspiration for this blog.
Patriotic
We do things better over here.
Religion
It is an honor to follow the golden path (or at least what people tell us is the golden path.)
Stupidity
Sometimes, we do not understand what we are doing, and we can blunder into situations.
I wanted to share two events that do not fit into neat plot boxes. When my father attended High School, the girls began leaving lipstick kiss marks on the bathroom mirrors. To prevent the vandalism, the principal sent letters to parents, had a frank assembly to discuss the matter, instructed the teachers to guard the bathrooms, offered incentives, posted the names of girls who were caught, and threatened to close the bathrooms. On the above list, we see external incentives, such as avoiding losses, intrinsic motivation, and maintaining a positive self-image.
What motivated the girls to continue? Maintaining a positive self-image, current mood, other people, revenge (on the authority who wanted them to stop them), and curiosity.
The straightforward efforts failed, and the kissing continued. As a desperate measure, the principal rounded up “the usual suspects” into the girl’s bathroom, making them watch how much effort it took to remove the marks. The janitor soaked his sponge into the toilet and then cleaned the mirrors. The principal was unaware of the cleaning method.
The girls were horrified, and the marks stopped. What was their motivation? From the list, avoiding losses (maintaining good health) fits. This motivation is certainly unconventional, but it is entertaining.
Twenty years ago, I was working at a company that had a high-desert location. It was not a great place to work because of the long drive. As a result, the employees felt they could do whatever they wanted because they were impossible to replace.
I occasionally had to go there to perform tests. While I had a friendly relationship, the employees let me know that I was a small fish in their big pond. Thus, something that should have taken me an hour often took days.
To help motivate them, I brought doughnuts and paid for their lunches (External Incentives). Also, when I was not there, and they had a question, I dropped everything to answer it (External Incentives). What were my other motivating options? I could have gone the other direction by going to my boss, who would go to their boss. Others unsuccessfully tried this approach.
I accepted my fate and began bringing books to read while they took their time to set things up. One day, I brought a company laptop to record data. It was a “newer” model that had a DVD drive. The previous week, I rented the movie Shrek and had planned to return it to Blockbuster. Even though I had watched the film, I decided to bring it to see how it looked on my laptop.
So, I found an empty conference room and started watching the movie. Word quickly spread, and soon, 20 people were watching Shrek on my tiny laptop screen. The boss heard about my overt act and stormed into the room, yelling.
I politely explained, “This is my third day here. I have been on site since 7:00 am, and the guys have still not set up my test.” He yelled more, and I countered, “What do you want me to do?” “Turn off your damn movie!” “And do what? Stare at the walls?” We went around and around. Then he asked the guys why they had not been ready at the scheduled time. When they came up with terrible excuses, he blew up at them.
Result? The boss ordered them to set up my test. So, I bought a copy of Shrek and my company laptop the next time I was there. The guys pleaded for me not to turn it on. Of all the possible motivations, Shrek proved to be the most lethal. What is the basis of this motivation? Avoiding losses? Not wanting the boss to yell at them? Umm, I guess.
The real motivation is that the boss did not want his boss to find out about his guys slacking off. He is Shrek’s actual target. Still, the logic for this is not a straight line, but the motivating effect was far more powerful than going to the boss or bringing a dump truck full of doughnuts.
Life is not always straightforward. People are complex, chaotic, and basic. Sometimes, we take the path of most resistance or behave without logic. And yet, a book requires an obvious character motivation to move the plot along. I find it interesting that the two are not identical.
You’re the best -Bill
July 01, 2020 Updated March 02, 2025
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