SOCIALLY AWARE DEFINITION:being aware of the wrongs within society and desiring to correct them CATEGORIES:interactive, moral SIMILAR ATTRIBUTES:humanitarian, public-spirited POSSIBLE CAUSES: Having a deep belief in social responsibility Being taught from a young age to respect the world and the people in it Being exposed to abuse or cruelty Having a strong sense of right and wrong A life-changing experience (viewing poverty or injustice in the third world, etc.) Personally witnessing unethical behavior and living through the fallout High intelligence The belief that doing right is its own reward Utilitarianism (the idea that doing what is best for all is beneficial in the long run) Adhering to a spiritual or religious belief (karma, etc.) Being empathetic ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS: Recognizing the effects of one’s actions Not being prejudiced Recycling Giving to charities that support ethical ideals Knowing the rules and abiding by them Trusting others until they’re proven untrustworthy Respecting the needs and opinions of others Being deeply compassionate Giving money to panhandlers Being considerate Having rock solid core values Selflessness Donating time to a social cause (building a house, digging a well, etc.) Having a strong sense of fairness Noticing homeless people on the street rather than averting one’s gaze Being highly attuned to the environment and everything in it Traveling to places with the intent of improving the quality of life there Seeing potential in those who have been written off by others Honesty Sticking to one’s principles; choosing what’s right over what’s easy Blowing the whistle on unethical treatment or inequality Integrity Raising awareness of social injustices Attending fundraising events Mentoring those less fortunate Loyalty Working well with others Forging strong bonds and relationships Judging others by one’s own beliefs and ideals Becoming a vegan or vegetarian Being highly empathetic Fostering or adopting children Starting a charity organization ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS: How can Steve do that and still look himself in the mirror? That poor dog barks all day long. Why have a pet if you leave it tied up outside? People are lazy. If everyone recycled, it would make such a difference. Why would I want to travel to a country where they treat women like property? Buy shoes from them? No way. They use child labor to manufacture them. ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:anger, anguish, conflicted, determination, eagerness, love, skepticism POSITIVE ASPECTS:Characters who are socially aware are willing to examine things that most people find uncomfortable or repugnant. While others may see a difficult situation and turn away out of grief or shock, the socially aware character will internalize the emotion, feeling it along with the sufferer. This ability to empathize leads these characters to action, however great the odds or opponents. Often inspirational, they’re adept at mobilizing people to work toward a common goal that, in the end, benefits many. NEGATIVE ASPECTS:Socially aware characters are zealous in their beliefs. They see most issues as black or white and have a hard time accepting opposing opinions. In their effort to win others over, they can be pushy or tactless, and end up turning people off. While their intentions are to help others and they can clearly see the big-picture goal, socially aware characters tend to over-simplify matters, which can make finding an effective and efficient solution difficult. EXAMPLE FROM LITERATURE:InA Time to Kill, Ellen Roark is a law student with a strong social conscience. A member of the ACLU, she’s an avid opponent of the death penalty and has actively fought against it. When a young African-American girl is raped and her father is put on trial for the murder of her attackers, Ellen makes the trip to Mississippi on her own dime to assist in his case on a pro bono basis.Other Examples from Literature and Pop Culture:Lucy Kelson (Two Weeks Notice), Bono TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:callous, cowardly, extravagant, greedy, obedient, selfish, timid, traditional CHALLENGING SCENARIOS FOR THE SOCIALLY AWARE: PLOTLINE: Facing seemingly overwhelming odds and opponents in order to right a wrong PLOTLINE: Wishing to help many causes but only having the resources to save one PLOTLINE: Choosing whether or not to sacrifice one’s time, money, relationships, etc., to help others PLOTLINE: Being asked to compromise one’s beliefs