living up to expectations theme

Someone struggles with the pressure of meeting the expectations of others.

Examples

Wesley, the wunderkind, failed to meet expectations that he would pass the Starfleet Academy entrance exam in in tng1x19 "Coming of Age".

15 total · 2 choice · 7 major · 6 minor

StoryLevelMotivation
movie: Rebecca (1940) choice The focal character of the story, the new Mrs. de Winter, was from a humble background and became the lady of an aristocratic English manor. She struggled to meet the expectations of others who were born into the family, and worried about what they would think about her.
tng1x19 choice Wesley and Jake both felt they failed to live up to the expectations put on them.
as1985e1x16 major Jonathan was under pressure from his parents to go to medical school. After meeting an enigmatic tree troll, Jonathan decided to itch medical school and become a drifter instead.
columbo1971e10x01 major Justin Rowe was expected to become a big-time lawyer, like his father. It was in part for this reason that Justin stooped to murder to avoid getting expelled from college.
ds92x16 major Jake worried Benjamin would be disappointed if he didn't join Starfleet Academy
ds97x03 major Ezri with living up to Jadzia
movie: Marty (1955) major Marty was a middle aged man who was living at him with his mother. The social pressure he was under to find a wife was the source of much anxiety for Marty, and it caused him to nearly break down into tears at one point.
movie: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) major Mr. Smith was leagues out of his waters when he heard he had been made senator. He resolved to do his best and to do nothing that would dishonor his office.
movie: Out of Time (1988) major Channing complained on multiple occasions of the pressure he felt from living under the shadow of his great-grandfather, the legendary inventor Maxwell Taylor.
movie: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) minor Rey called out Kylo Ren over his internal doubts about not being able to live up to the legend of Darth Vader.