EMOTION THESAURUS

POWERLESSNESS



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

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

The inner landscape of your characters (especially your protagonist) is the lifeblood that runs through your story. Emotions, and how they're expressed, are tied deeply to a character’s personality and which positive traits and negative traits will manifest. To bring your readers in deeper through shared experience, consider filtering the setting descriptions through your character’s emotions while also exploring important colors, textures, and shapes through his or her senses.
DEFINITION:
Believing that one lacks the authority, skills, or resources to act

PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS:
Making oneself small (legs close together, slouching, a caved-in chest)
Dressing in a way that doesn't attract attention
A vacant look while staring off in space
Hiding one's hands (in pockets, behind one's back)
A lack of coordination (stumbling or bumping into things, fumbling or dropping objects)
Movements that lack energy
Poor posture
A bent neck
Avoiding eye contact
Starting sentences but not finishing them, or giving one-word answers
Verbalizing self-blame: "I should have stopped her," or "I deserve this."
...

INTERNAL SENSATIONS:
...

MENTAL RESPONSES:
...

CUES OF ACUTE OR LONG TERM POWERLESSNESS:
...

MAY ESCALATE TO:
...

CUES OF SUPPRESSED POWERLESSNESS:
...

MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:
...

ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS:
...