Emotional Outbursts Have Relative Power

Some characters are just brimming with energy. They can range from comical mania to severe emotional dysfunction. You expect these characters to have regular emotional outbursts and act rashly. The world is larger than life to these people.

Other characters are masters of self-control. They don't like losing their cool, so they do everything they can to negate stress. They may avoid problems, try to solve them, or ask particularly annoying people to please stop doing what's bothering them.

Ultimately, both kinds of characters can end up exploding. The manic do it as a matter of habit. It may be loud or crazed, and it can even be adorable. The reserved do it only in desperate situations. The more control they have, the more shocking and powerful it becomes to see such a person break down.

Emotional outbursts have relative power. The more a character does them, the less they mean. As the author, the same holds true for how often you use them. You may think you have a character who is very emotionally reserved, but if he breaks down into tears in every chapter of your story, then no audience member will see him as anything other than a fragile dandy. If you want those tears to have meaning, keep them back.