They cannot (or will not) understand the victim's point of view. Scott Peck argued that evil people are prone to self-deception as a means of preserving ego and avoiding guilt for their actions. In addition to the above traits, psychiatrist M. However, an evil person exhibits all of these traits to an alarming capacity.

Harboring ill-will with the intent to harm othersĪs you can see, we're all guilty of these traits to some degree.

Not concerned with doing the “right thing”.

Self-centered and focused exclusively on their own needs.

The scientists found that so-called evil people are: However, the ones who score the highest are considered the most evil among us. According to this study, all of us have dark personality traits. Some psychologists argue that no one can be completely evil or good. Understanding what makes a person evil will help you develop a realistic villain. You can throw a curveball at your readers by giving them an unreliable narrator who's actually evil. This distinction means that the villain can actually be the protagonist- i.e.

The antagonist is a plot device and the villain is a character type. It’s tempting to think of the villain as the ultimate antagonist, but the villain is much more. However, you’ll probably have only one true villain.

Your story can have multiple antagonists. Instead, the antagonist is following his or her path when coming across the protagonist. In most circumstances, the antagonist isn’t completely consumed with the idea of foiling the protagonist. Their role in your story is to oppose the protagonist. The reader will learn more about the protagonist based on how they respond to antagonistic action.Īntagonists can be evil, but that's not always necessary.

That's because each problem forces the protagonist to make a choice.

The protagonist would not develop - Challenge forces characterization.

Tension elicits nail-biting emotion and it's something that the antagonist brings. Tension creates anticipation as the reader wonders how the newly introduced challenge will impact the protagonist and their goals.

The story would not have tension - Tension is a necessary element to every story.

The antagonist's job is to frustrate, delay or, in some way, sabotage the protagonist's plan. Your story's protagonist can encounter many antagonists along their journey.

While an antagonist can be the story's villain, they're not always one and the same. Let’s not mix up villains with antagonists.Īlthough we often think of villains and antagonists as interchangeable terms, they're actually different.Ī villain is a character who's evil actions develop the plot.Īn antagonist is a character who opposes the protagonist.

Boston belles the villain