Bridging screenwriting and behavioural science: Towards a systematic psychological understanding of film characters’ Wants and Needs

Description

At the SRN 2023 conference, I proposed an interdisciplinary approach to develop a scientific understanding of character psychology that can support the creation of systematic training and problem-solving tools for screenwriters. By combining insights on fictional characters from screenwriting with knowledge of real human beings from the behavioral sciences, this approach seeks to develop an evidence-based understanding of psychological character properties, how they create meaning for viewers, and influence a film’s popularity.

Using this approach, I have developed and partially tested a psychological model of film characters’ Wants and Needs. The current paper will present two central aspects of this model: defining Wants and Needs on four conceptual levels (basic human needs, personal values, goals, and actions) and using the distinction between internal and external character features to explain how viewers understand both Want and Need.

Period	Sept 2024
Event title	Screenwriting Research Network Conference 2024
Event type	Conference
Location	Olomouc, Czech RepublicShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International