Developing your character’s mindset with a legit psychology theory

You have your characters, you’ve filled out your character sheets, but somehow - they don’t feel real. There’s *something* missing. So, using a really popular psychology theory from a book whose name I forgot - which basically says the brain is divided into 3 sections - The Parent, The Adult, and The Child.

#1. The Parent

The Parent part of your character’s mind is quite literally the voice of their parents or those who raised them - it is the firm set of ideals, thinking and innate personality - that is quite literally driven into their core. The Parent usually doesn’t change, it’s a constant reminder of who your character is, and what dictates a part of their actions.A character whose been raised vegetarian has their vegetarianism ingrained in their Parent so it’s unlikely they will ever compromise on that ideal. Likewise,an “evil” character’s Parent would probably say that murder is a-okay because that’s what they’ve been raised to believe.

#2. The Adult

The Adult is the part of your character that’s changing, growing and actively making decisions by taking in the world around them. It’s the part of their mind that’s unsure, something that makes decisions based not only on the Parent’s ideals, but also the world around them, the people and the current situation. In essence, it’s the way in which your character reacts, and the manner in which they will change over the course of the story. The Adult also determines how much of the Parent and how much of The Child controls their everyday life.

#3. The Child

The Child is the part of your brain that is emotion. It’s the part that’s immature, irrational, and still deeply affected by their past and trauma (if any) The Child shows their past, and the depth of their compassion, empathy, and love for others.

The ratio of how much of the Parent/Adult/Child your character is depends on them - a kinder, soft character probably has more Child than Parent, and vice versa! Also, please don’t quote me on this psychology theory - I only know it in brief