Personality Quirks: I is for Iconodule

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

You’re looking at today’s word, iconodule, and thinking, “Hmm. I know a word like that. I wonder if they’re related words?”

Yes, Sherlock, you are absolutely correct in your deduction. Iconoclast is an opposite of today’s word, iconodule.

As you know, iconoclasts attack deeply held beliefs and/or institutions. Sometimes they destroy images, icons, used in religious worship services. Sometimes the iconoclast doesn’t like any images used for religious purposes and other times, heesh is against the particular religion and wants to destroy precious items.

The iconodule, on the other hand, supports venerating religious icons.

Iconodule comes to us through Latin from Greek from eikōn ‘likeness’ + doulos ‘slave’.

So what might a character who is an iconodule look like in your book?

Of course, given the definition, your character could well be a religious fanatic. Perhaps heesh is stealing icons, valuable and otherwise, because of a perceived or real threat to the existence of said icons. There might be a bunker beneath shis home where the icons are displayed and venerated. People might be dying because the iconodule suspects them of wanting to get the icons or of discovering the trove and informing authorities. How does your iconodule appear to the general public? Obsessive or just a bit weird? How could your sleuth figure out the motivation for the thefts?

Another way to go is a religious figure who is more obsessed with the icon than what the icon stands for. Perhaps the Abbott or Abbess might discipline the iconodule over and over for neglecting duties in order to idolize (in the bad sense) a particular icon. The obsession with the one icon might lead the iconodule to take some drastic steps. What if the iconodule were dismissed from the order? What would that mean for shis passion? Who might try to intervene? Who would support the dismissal? When does passion become fanaticism?

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

An iconodule is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2oqbKzP

Personality Quirks: H is for Hybristophilia

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

I really wanted to pick hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, fear of long words, but I didn’t! There were lots of good H words, so selecting just one was very hard.

I decided to write about a word, hybristophilia, I blogged about some time ago. I posted it as “Women Who Love Monsters.” I’ve excerpted some of it here.

 

The etymology is derived from the Greek word ὑβρίζειν hubrizein, meaning ‘to commit an outrage against someone’ (ultimately derived from ὕβρις hubris ‘hubris’), and philo, meaning ‘having a strong affinity/preference for’.

Hybristophilia is a condition in which women (mostly) become sexually aroused when thinking about and/or engaging with men (mostly) who participated in extreme criminal behavior such as rape, child molestation, and brutal murders.

While I cannot name names, you’ve read accounts of these jailhouse romances in the news. Sometimes the attraction results in marriage. These marriages are rarely consummated, but when they are, they too often end tragically.

The causes of hybristophilia are unknown but experts speculate that the attraction can be traced to the belief that like regular bad boys, these women think they can “save” the rapist. All he needs is the woman she is, and he will change.

Some hybristophiliacs believe that present behavior can be traced to what happened to him as a little boy and they can provide the love and support he needs to heal. Some like that incarceration means he will be faithful because he can’t get to other women, therefore, he is all hers.

Doctors have considered that hybristophiliacs exhibit an extreme fanaticism because they can’t find love in the normal way. With some, their insecurities cause them to seek someone with whom they can’t consummate the relationship.

Some of these women are turned on by the power they impute to men who commit horrible acts. They see him as manly and powerful, in control.

And it is not ruled out that hybristophilia is triggered by the need to be in the spotlight. By proclaiming love for a monster, they attract attention to themselves. “Who could love such a man?” most of us would ask. “Who is she?”

These women leave themselves open to manipulation and seduction. They will do anything for these guys, putting themselves at risk physically, financially, and legally.
In too many of the cases where the “jailhouse romance” led to them getting together on the outside (because of a prison release), women were killed or hurt. These men aren’t the normal “bad guys.” They are irredeemable. And that plays out if they are given the opportunity.

If you are writing romances with a horror element or based on a true crime drama, including a woman with hybristophilia coming onto your monstrous bad guy could lead to some interesting plot twists. Admittedly, this kind of book wouldn't appeal to the normal romance reader, but you might draw in readers attracted to the bizarre and unacceptable, people who follow the true crime stories and know about this type woman.

What if a prison guard was attracted to her when she visited? What if she stalked him when he got released on a technicality? Or what if he manipulated her and went to live with her upon being paroled? What if they married while he was on death row and she gave him access to all her money which he gambled away, stripping her of financial security? Or what if she was artificially inseminated by her rapist to give him a child?

But even a traditional romance or mystery novel might include a sub-plot with hybristophilia for a character. Most people don't know about or think about the condition. Your book could inform them. Not just romances, but many books include romantic relationships as a major or minor plot line. Consider giving your next book a twist many won’t see coming. Just imagine… what if…? how come…?

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

Hybristophilia is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2oR9HFY

Personality Quirks: G is for Glossolalia

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Today’s word has religious connotations. Glossolalia, known in the vernacular as “speaking in tongues”, has fascinated both the faithful and linguists for some time. Another term you may have seen for this condition is xenoglossia.

The speaker vocalizes what sounds like a foreign (thus, xeno) language. Except it’s not. The speaker is in a trance-like state of spirituality. Sometimes called “prayer language”, there has been debate about whether the utterances are a genuine human language, a sacred language, a divine language unknown to the speaker, or nonsense words.

Most commonly associated with Pentecostal and charismatic churches, the word-like speech flows from the speaker effortlessly, as if not being made-up but as in actual recognizable speech.

Glossolalia is from Greek glōssa ‘language, tongue’ + lalia ‘speech.’

I can’t think of a TV, book, or real life character who exhibits this condition, but we’ve all seen it portrayed at some time. Seeming nonsense streams forth in a fluid vocalization of speech-like syllables that no one else but the speaker understands and sometimes even the speaker admits to not knowing what heesh said.

I can see several ways to depict glossolalia in novels.

In science fiction, paranormal, or fantasy, the character, an atheist, finds shimself channeling a foreign/alien entity. The character’s glossolalia might indicate a warning or information or even an attempt to persuade. Does your character or a linguist (a la Arrival) figure out the message in time? Or is there an intermediary (a la Ghost) who translates?

In contemporary fiction, your character might be a charlatan bilking others in tent revivals or a mega-church with TV viewers. The glossolalic character might have an epiphany about the effect on someone who believes that the glossolalic speech is authentic. A crisis ensues when the person is disenchanted upon discovering the truth.

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

Glossolalia is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2mUbo52

Personality Quirks: F is for Frotteurism

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s leave the phobias today and instead focus on a different type of personality quirk not triggered by fear. This one gives me the willies, so I think it has limited application, but if you like kinky, frotteruism might be your ticket to an interesting character and situations for an erotic romance.

This is from my online dictionary:

In art, frottage is the technique or process of taking a rubbing from an uneven surface to form the basis of a work of art; a work of art produced by taking a rubbing from an uneven surface.

I can't call up any fiction or real characters except for those subway creeps I try to keep my distance from. Maybe I should have more sympathy? Nah!

Frottage comes to us from 1930s French meaning “rubbing, friction”. Well, frotteurism can move away from the art world to the second definition in my online dictionary:

the practice of touching or rubbing against the clothed body of another person in a crowd as a means of obtaining sexual gratification.

Your frotteuristic character might be a rural resident who is restless and wants to live where there are crowds and the concomitant anonymity. Perhaps heesh is unaware of why heesh stands so close to people, touching them “accidentally.” Perhaps heesh has a reputation for being clumsy since heesh is always bumping into others. Some might even find shim creepy. In the big city, riding the subway to and from work keeps the frotteurist very happy. How will you have others discover this is a condition? Will heesh get help for the condition or be continually moving as others become aware of shis condition?

Your frotteurist might go another route. Perhaps heesh offers the service of being rubbed against or of being able to rub others as a sex trade business. Since there is no penetration or nudity, the police might be stymied about whether or not this is a sex trade business and how to deal with it. I can see an investigating police officer intrigued by it and maybe even drawn into an episode.

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

Frotteurism is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2nLGef0

Personality Quirks: E is for Ergasiophobia

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Ergasiophobia has two definitions, one general and one specific. 1) Fear of work or functioning. 2) Surgeon's fear of operating. Interesting, eh? The surgeon’s fear of operating is so specific, one has to wonder what triggered that definition.

I am reminded of Doc Martin in the British TV show. In that series, the brilliant surgeon, Doc Martin, had developed haemophobia (fear of blood) and so retired from surgery to practice general medicine in his aunt’s seaside village. Because he becomes faint when seeing blood, he is afraid to operate. His haemophobia led to ergasiophobia.

Etymologically, by now you know that phobia is from the Greek and means “fear of.” Ergasia is from the Greek for “work.” There you have it!

So as not to rip off the Doc Martin writers, instead choose another profession for your character and make shim very successful at it. Perhaps an investment banker, real estate developer, performer, or attorney. Maybe even a writer! Create a precipitating event that triggers your character’s fear of shis own work. Build from unease to mild aversion to total avoidance. When will others notice? Does heesh overcome the ergasiophobic condition or does heesh find another profession?

Or maybe your character is the recipient of the ergasiophobic’s services and begins to wonder at the unraveling of such a talent. Does heesh confront the ergasiophobic? Does your character try to hold shim more accountable in an attempt to counteract the condition?

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

Ergasiophobia is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2mPkCPS

Personality Quirks: D is for Disposophobia

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Pathological hoarders are disposophobic. They have an irrational fear of throwing things away. I understand that hoarding is a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. They exhibit an excess of acquisitiveness even when they put themselves and others at risk for disease or hazard. The items are typically valueless, but the disposophobic cannot discard them.

The etymology of disposophobia is Greek phobos (fear) and Latin disponere (arrange).

The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization has identified five levels of hoarding:

Level 1: household is standard but disorganized

Level 2: professional organizers are needed to return the household to a standard level and other professional may be needed to deal with the condition

Level 3: professional organizers are needed to return the household to a standard level and highly trained professionals are needed to deal with the condition

Level 4: professional organizers are needed to return the household to a standard level and a team of highly trained professional service providers are needed to deal with the condition

Level 5: household and the person require intervention from a wide-range of agencies (including social services, mental health, building/zoning, fire/safety, and legal representatives. The household might be under care of a conservator, in which case that person is part of the team. A professional organizer should never take this level on without a team.

You can already see your characters developing, can’t you? From the mildest form to the most severe you have a lot you can do with this condition. Whenever I have seen TV shows on hoarders, I create their back stories. Those conditions are just ripe with possibilities when you see what they have chosen to hang onto.

In its mildest forms, your disposophobic character can be played for laughs. Heesh is always losing things, has a messy domicile, and can’t keep things organized. Heesh never wants to host the bridge club because it is too overwhelming to get the house ready, and just where did those cards go?

In the more extreme forms, you might have a nephew who is looking to take over Auntie’s estate by having her evicted from an unsafe home and committed to an institution for her mental illness. Or you could have a concerned distant friend or relative call for a wellness check and the responders cannot get into other rooms without a landslide that could injure them or the rodents and roaches might have created a sanitation hazard. Does the friend/family member come to the rescue or has heesh had it since past attempts to clean up have failed?

Can you guess what E will be?

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

Disposophobia is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2o2rUQc

Personality Quirks: C is for Cleithrophobia

Are you a writer looking for some interesting personality traits and quirks to create characters? Or maybe you’re a logophile, someone who loves words, and wants to collect more of them. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

Cleithrophobia. Or is it clithrophobia or cleisiophobia? An interesting quirk, this one. I found three spellings for the condition of fear of being locked in an enclosed place, fear of being enclosed, fear of being trapped in a space. Beats me why there are three spellings! I didn’t bother investigating since that’s not my focus.

Cleithrophobia is not the same as claustrophobia (irrational fear of confined spaces) since it goes beyond enclosure in the space to include the notion of not being able to escape it, the feeling of being trapped.

Cleithrophobia comes from the Greek cleithro, meaning “to shut or close” and from phobos, meaning “fear.”

I couldn’t think of any print or TV/movie characters who exhibit this behavior, but if you can, please leave it in the comments below. However, it does present interesting possibilities, especially for crime fiction/mystery/thriller writers. Maybe a domestic thriller, eh?

In a mild form, we may find someone who doesn’t like to ride in a car as a passenger. As driver, the cleithrophobic personality might feel more in control of the ability to escape the locked space. In an extreme form, this personality would likely be panic-stricken in places known to have locks, like jails. Think of the possibilities.

Perhaps your MC is cleithrophobic and someone is trying to drive shim crazy by putting shim into situations where being locked up happens, but then the door is not locked when anyone shows up to help, leading them to believe it’s all in the MC’s head. If the MC is declared mentally unfit a business is left to the partner? An inheritance enriches a ne’er-do-well? Revenge is attained for a perceived slight?

In another scenario, a cleithrophobic character could be imprisoned in a below-ground cell with no windows and a locked door. The character is brought out periodically to convince shis family that heesh is alive so they’ll pay the ransom. Slowly the character becomes unhinged due to the fear of being locked away. Does the MC get there in time to save the character’s sanity? Does the imprisoner know about the condition? If not, how does heesh react to the unraveling of a character?

See you tomorrow for the letter D?

If you enjoyed this post, please share the link on Twitter, Facebook or other social media you frequent:

Cleisthrophobia is a real thing and writers can use it for character development from @RomanceRighter http://bit.ly/2ndVPjK