Dramatica Dictionary: H

 

Help • [Element] dyn.pr. Hinder<–> Help • direct assistance to another’s effort • The Help characteristic assists another’s efforts. This can be a real boon to someone struggling to achieve. Sometimes, however, someone doesn’t want any help. He either wants to do it on his own or what he is trying to do has been misread by the character representing the Help characteristic who is actually hindering him. Did you hear the one about the Boy Scout who helped the little old lady across the street and then she bashed him with her handbag because she had been waiting for a bus? • syn. aid, assist, support, bolster, abet

Hinder • [Element] dyn.pr. Hinder<–>Help • undermining another’s effort • The Hinder characteristic strives to undermine another’s efforts. This might be seen as a negative, as it often is. But sometimes a character functions to hinder an “evil” character, disrupting his plans. Hinder merely indicates the effect on the plans not whether that is a good or bad thing. • syn. retard, obstruct, impede, fetter, undermine, block, burden, encumber, thwart

Hope • [Variation] dyn.pr. Dream<–>Hope • a desired future that falls within reasonable expectations • Hope is based on a projection of the way things are going. When one looks at the present situation and notes the direction of change, Hope lies somewhere along that line. As an example, if one is preparing for a picnic and the weather has been sunny, one Hopes for a sunny day. If it was raining for days, one could not Hope but only Dream. Still, Hope acknowledge that things can change in unexpected ways. That means that Hoping for something is not the same as expecting something. Hope is just the expectation that something will occur unless something interferes. How accurately a character evaluates the potential for change determines whether he is Hoping or dreaming. When a character is dreaming and thinks he is Hoping, he prepares for things where there is no indication they will come true. • syn. desired expectation, optimistic anticipation, confident aspiration, promise, encouraging outlook

Hunch • [Element] dyn.pr. Theory<–>Hunch • a conclusion based on intuition • A Hunch is an understanding based on insufficient circumstantial evidence. The phrase “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” describes the concept. The advantage is that when evidence mounts, even without direct connections, one may draw an analogy that has a substantial likelihood of being correct as in “I’ve seen that pattern before!” Of course, a Hunch is merely a suspicion. The danger is acting upon it as if it were fact. • syn. intuition, premonition, impression, suspicion