The Professor archetype is most famously portrayed by the character of the same name on Gilligan’s Island. Obsessed with knowledge, learning how and why things work, the Professor will neglect personal relationships and a social life for the comfort of books.
The Professor is intelligent, to the point of genius. He loves to analyze things, solve puzzles and deconstruct problems. Intellectual pursuits give him the same type of satisfaction other characters gain from relationships.
Because his intellect is so far removed from the average person’s, the Professor may tend to be an introvert, and spend a great deal of time alone. This doesn’t mean that he’s shy or afraid of others. Rather, he may be impatient with what he construes as their dull-wittedness.
The Professor Can Be Organized or Absent-Minded
This character archetype is often portrayed as bumbling, messy, and socially inept. This is one way to use this character. Other characters may discount what he says because of his outward appearance, or because of the messy condition of his home or office.
The Professor is the type of person that can have massive piles of paper, but know exactly where each one is and how to find it immediately. The Absent-Minded Professor was portrayed by Fred MacMurray in the movie of the same name, and again in Flubber.
On the other hand, the Professor may be meticulous and rigid. He may have an office and home that never has a speck of dust or a paper out of place. His laboratory would be a shining example of efficiency and cleanliness. In this case, he may be a respected researcher, whom people turn to for information. Pauley Perrette, who plays the character Abby Sciuto on the television drama NCIS is a quirky, yet meticulous crime lab technician in the Professor archetype.
Relationships
The Professor tends to focus on complex, intellectual issues. Matters of the heart do not appeal to this character archetype, because the heart can be fickle. Math and science are never fickle.
Because of distancing himself from social ties, the Professor may be lonely. On the other hand, he may be so busy in his research that he doesn’t even realize what he is missing out on, and he can be perfectly happy alone. That quality would be an excellent opening for a love interest or seductress to come in and turn his world upside down.
Professor Role in Stories
The Professor serves equally well as the antagonist or the protagonist in a novel. Don’t be misled; the Professor can be male or female. If there is any type of crime or mystery to be solved, the Professor is an excellent choice of character archetype. Hercule Poirot, Columbo, and Sherlock Holmes are examples of this archetype.
The Professor could also be used as a science officer in a futuristic novel. A computer hacker could be a Professor. Any role where genius and logical powers of deduction are required is a fitting role for the Professor.
Powerful character archetypes are:
Suzanne Pitner - Suzanne Pitner is a teacher and published writer. A member of RWA and YARWA, she writes fiction as Suzanne Lilly.
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