Anakin's/Vader's Values and Motivation

 

    Hello Folks, welcome back to the Blog! Today’s post we will look back again at our favorite Chosen One of the Star Wars Universe. This time we will continue to look at our hero and villain through the lens of Expectancy-Value Theory but more of a focus on the Value Aspect of the theory. So, Anakin’s values for himself are all included in interests, reasons, goals, utility value, and cost/benefit. For Anakin’s goals, we have talked about how he wants to become the greatest Jedi ever in recorded history and to fulfill his love with his secret wife Padme Amidala. For Anakin’s interests that would be keeping the peace, building, creating, fixing, repairing, and Padme. His reasons would be the Jedi Code, the Prophecy of the Chosen One, and his deep feelings for those he loves. For his utility value, Anakin is constantly seeking what is relevant for his goal of fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One or for Protecting Padme. His most cost/benefit value is about seeking feedback from those he cares about. When looking at all these values when it pertains to goals, Anakin has a mixed set of Mastery and Performance goal outlooks. This comes from his mix of fixed and growth mindsets on different domains. When it comes to his own abilities Anakin believes he can become stronger and more powerful in the force as he grows and trains, but he is constantly comparing himself to others or what others want from him. 

Anakin says he has grown in the force 

        His goal of protecting and loving Padme is always at odds with his goal of him becoming the greatest Jedi ever because if his marriage were found out, he would be expelled from the Jedi Order. The hardest thing for Anakin when it comes to him achieving the goal of becoming the greatest Jedi is that he cannot let go of his attachments to those he loves, which makes him a very human character, but he struggles with feeling he is completing the Prophecy of being the Chosen One, to “Bring Balance to the Force”. Especially when it comes to the era of the Clone Wars because the Galaxy is at war with itself for 4 years.

Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu talking about Anakin and the Prophecy 

        I would have to say that Anakin is more at times a Performance approach orientated person than a mastery orientated person. Since his goal is to be best, he strives to perform better than everyone else that is around him and that has come before him, in the context of Star Wars Universe history that is thousands of years of Jedi accomplishments. Anakin eventually abandons this goal, because the system for which this value is based on, is destroyed as he feels betrayed by the Jedi and becomes a Sith Lord known forever feared as Darth Vader.

           

Palpatine Manipulating Anakin saying this is part of his Destiny 

            Anakin’s other version of himself Darth Vader is hard to determine his values through this theory because most of his Agency is mixed and he mostly follows his master’s commands. As discussed before when Anakin becomes Darth Vader, he becomes a completely different person, and we had only seen the surface of his darkness during his time as Anakin Skywalker. His goals transform from being the greatest Jedi ever to bringing the galaxy to under his master’s control and restoring peace through force. I guess you could say that at this point he is a mastery-oriented person because he is constantly looking to become stronger in the dark side of the force and succeed in his master’s plans.

Vader Begining his training in the dark side on Mustafar
in a Sith Cave

     His goal eventually changes again as I have said before when he learns of his son’s existence and feels betrayed by his master and plots to overthrow him and rule the galaxy as father and son. Darth Vader still has Anakin’s sense of incremental intelligence and abilities since he himself can become stronger. One of his duties in the early years of the Empire was to train the Inquisitors who were former Jedi or force-sensitive children trained in the dark side to hunt down the former Jedi. Even though this group he trained had tried to kill him several times, he still trained them to become strong in the dark side.

Vader training his inquisitors brutally 

     He as well, recognize his son Luke becoming stronger and stronger in the force and how much his master, the emperor, feared his strength. The sad part of Anakin’s story is that when Anakin or Vader felt most accomplished and most highly motivated is when he was the most feared beings in the galaxy. Forcefully invading planets to spread the empire’s control, serving the evilest person in the galaxy, and committing terrible atrocities. 

            Anakin and Vader are individuals who value strength, competence, and skill. When he was Anakin he was one who would try and bring out the best in people because he wanted them to become better and wanted to make others feel good about themselves because he always struggled with that himself. As Vader people were tools and something as a means to an end, only at the last possible second did Anakin return and restore balance to the galaxy.