In acting theory, what term describes the central motivation behind a character's actions?

• A. Motive
• B. Spine
• C. Objective
• D. Drive

Answer: (B)

The central pull that shapes a character’s actions is their spine—the enduring wish that runs through the entire story and guides every choice. The spine is the throughline you can trace from start to finish, a single motive that explains why the character keeps moving, even as the specific goals in individual scenes shift. That long-term aim gives coherence to behavior across moments, scenes, and reversals. A motive often points to a particular reason for one action, and an objective is typically the immediate goal of a specific scene or beat, while drive is a more general term for motivation. Because the spine anchors the character’s overall motivation across the arc, it’s the term that best captures the idea of the central force behind actions.