Personality Profiles of Characters: The Good, The Bad, The Weak

By: Laura Onofrio

Soap opera characters have undergone immense changes since the beginning of radio daytime drama in the early 30s. When daytime dramas were broadcasted over the radio audiences often relied on the radio announcer's description of the actor's entrance or exit, and the actor's voices to help them determine the moral fiber of the characters and whether they were good or bad (Matelski: 1988:16). When the genre was transferred to television it became easy to identify the roles that the characters were playing as audiences were now able to see the characteristics of their personalities that categorized them as good, bad or weak.

On radio daytime dramas there were three basic physiological profiles of the characters: the good, the bad, and the weak. On radio serials 'good' characters, which were mostly women, were faultless and rarely did bad things. Problems caused by good characters were caused to themselves or their immediate families. Since these characters did not harm innocent people they were rarely punished. 'Bad' characters, on the other hand, were devious, reprehensible and beyond redemption. They purposefully tried to harm others and did not care if they harmed innocent by-standers. These characters, which were typically males, were rarely victimized as they were often the ones harming the 'good' characters (Matelski: 1988:16). In radio daytime dramas 'weak' characters were ambiguous to audiences as to whether they were 'good' or 'bad' as their behaviors often mimicked those of the other groups. Their real difference was not in their actions, but in their lack of conviction within those actions (Matelski:1988:17). These characters, found in both sexes, were devious troublemakers whose actions were damaging to themselves or their families (Matelski: 1988:18).

These three profiles continued throughout the 1950s and 1960s; however, during the 1970s daytime television began to change. "Characters were becoming more sexually explicit during this era and 'good', 'bad' and 'weak' characters' actions during this period reflected some attitude toward sex and its effect on marriage and reproduction (Matelski: 1988:18)." 'Good' people's sex most often led to love and marriage. These characters upheld the traditional ideology towards sex and the idea that sex was shared between two people who loved each other and wanted a family together. 'Bad' characters were less interested in love and more interested in sex (Matelski; 1988:19). By the mid-1970s family life in America was changing as it was becoming increasingly common to have two-income families. This meant that significant changes were being made to the viewing audience of soap operas as there were fewer housewives. As a result of the new demographics of the soap opera the moral fiber of the characters shifted away from the traditional psychological profiles and new, less harsh profiles, 'primarily good', 'primarily bad' and 'primarily weak', developed.