Why Do They Do That?

The more you watch people, the more you recognize patterns. The women who dress so provocatively are the ones who are the least comfortable with themselves. The guys who try so hard to be tough and dominant end up being weak-willed phonies. Their actions are a manifestation of their characteristics.

Any person who is weak-willed will relent to a strong-willed leader. That is why children are told to stand up to bullies. Since bullies are act tough, it is because they are weak-willed, so if you have the stronger personality, they will follow you instead of attack you. However, anybody who has ever dealt with enough bullies has probably found that this doesn't always work. So, there is a problem somewhere.

As it turns out, any given character trait can exist for any number of reasons. Some bullies just love the feeling of power that comes from tormenting others. Some of them like the added source of income that stealing lunch money begets. Similarly, some women who show a lot of skin simply are comfortable with themselves and don't care about the reaction. Some of them just think it's fun to play dress-up and do something they wouldn't normally do.

You may have a character that acts in a particular way, but you aren't sure why yet. If there comes a point where you want to figure it out, remember that there may be one very common answer for it, but there may also be an uncommon one that is just as valid (and potentially more interesting).