So, if justification is building up, and problem solving is tearing down, how is that different from the building up or tearing down through growth?
First, take this as a given: having a Justification (or having a wall as described here) balances out your world. It hides everything and makes you feel like everything is fine.
Then, [...]

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If you have a Steadfast Character with a huge Resolve at the beginning, a very strong Resolve, then you’ll want to tear that down over the course of the story so that there is some kind of mystery as to their final decision.
You want the audience to think, “You know, in the beginning, this MC really [...]

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And the reverse is true as well…
Removing the justification is the Forestory for a Change Main Character and the Backstory for a Steadfast Main Character.
For a Steadfast Main Character this would be more about creating the position he will hold on to. It would be about how he got to where he is through some experience [...]

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Previously I had interpreted what Chris had said about Tearing Down or Building Up to be tied to the Main Character Growth. This was wrong.
Sort of.
It really depends on whether you are talking about resolving the inequity or creating the inequity.
If I don’t have a problem, then I have a problem, but I don’t want to deal [...]

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So where is the Impact Character in all of these analogies about walls and wells?
If I’m a Change Main Character, then the Impact Character is that guy shining that flashlight either down that well or up on that wall - showing me that yes, indeed, I do have a problem.
If I’m a Steadfast Main Character, then the [...]

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So how does this analogy work for a Steadfast character?
There are two different ways of looking at it.
You have the one where you are in a well, and it is slowly filling up with water. And then you have the one where the water is coming in and you’re trying to build a wall, or a [...]

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As a Change Start character I try to build up a “platform” to make my way out of the well. But I don’t do this by grabbing pieces of the wall in front of me to stand on. I can’t dig through the wall to get out - that would be focusing on [...]

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The Impact Character has shined his light and the Main Character is made aware of their wall of Justification in front of them. But this wall is different based on the Main Character’s Growth.
More specifically, think of the Change Stop character as having a wall, and the Change Start character as being at the bottom [...]

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The following is for a Change Main Character:
Imagine going through your life in complete darkness. Your eyes are wide open, but you can’t see a thing. You can still function normally, but you do so oblivious to what might be around you.
Well then, someone comes along and shines a flashlight right in front of you. [...]

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That last post was a nightmare…
Basically,

if you’re justifying, you’re building up
if you’re problem solving, you’re tearing down

The whole purpose of justifying is to hide the inequity so you cannot see it. The whole purpose of problem solving is to address the inequity directly so that you can remove it.

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