What is the psychological term for the internal drive that influences a character's actions?

The correct answer is motivation because it refers to the underlying reasons or internal drives that compel a character to act in certain ways within a narrative. Motivation encompasses various psychological factors, including desires, goals, and impulses that can stem from personal history, circumstances, and emotional states. In the context of literary criticism, understanding a character’s motivation is crucial for analyzing their behavior, decisions, and development throughout the story.

While impulse, desire, and instinct all relate to individual actions and behaviors, they do not fully capture the broader and more structured framework that motivation embodies. Impulse refers to sudden urges to act without much thought, desire indicates a yearning for something specific, and instinct refers to innate tendencies that guide behavior. Motivation, on the other hand, integrates these elements while also considering nuances like character development and the context that drives actions over time. This makes motivation a comprehensive and essential term in literary analysis when discussing character actions.