Harvey Specter is a complex character whose conscientious nature is driven by a deep desire for power and control. This need stems from his childhood experiences, particularly his mother'
(n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSSLxLoHl4Harvey Specter. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://suits.fandom.com/wiki/Harvey_SpecterList of Suits characters. (2020, January 9). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Suits_charactersPerez, E. J. (2014, December 22). Harvey Specter Psych Analysis. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/gipltiphprzw/harvey-specter-psych-analysis/
Harvey Specter
Behavior Analysis
Calm Demeanor
Harvey is all about presentation and one of his traits are his calm demeanor. even in the most stress-full situations where it seems as if the fan's gonna hit the wall, he always keeps a calm demeanor. it all ties into his other behaviors, in order to be seen as a super confident person, you can never show any sign of panic and in competitive situations, showing the enemy that you are worried or scared about something can be used against you. this is a result of the job that he has and the people that he deals with, when it comes to lawyers, its all about how many cases you've won and how many you've lost, so he had taught himself to stay calm even when his back is against the wall. he asks Mike Ross "what do you do when someone points a gun at your head" and mike replies "you do whatever the person asks" and he says "wrong, you take the gun, or you pull out a bigger one." (Harvey Specter Character Analysis, 5m38s).
Competitive
Harvey portrays his competitive mindset numerous times throughout his life. "he constantly talks about winning and never putting yourself in a position to lose." ( Harvey Specter Psych Analysis, p.10). being a big time lawyer with a luxurious lifestyle means that he will have friends in many places with lots of money and this fuels his ego and his competitive nature, he always wants to one up somebody even if it is for no reason at all. this is proved when him and a fellow friend are seen eyeing the same car and although Harvey knew he was going to give the car to the other guy, he challenges him to a contest where he obviously wins, but still ends up giving the car to the other guy. As a result of his competitive attitude, it can put him in trouble in places where he doesn't need to be. he could be winning a case but then put himself in trouble because of his competitive always winning attitude which he got from never losing a case.
Conscientious
Someone who is conscientious is a person who not only cares about doing what's right, but they care about doing their tasks thoroughly and with great attention to detail. the reason why Harvey is seen as a conscientious person is because he is someone who cares a lot about winning,"i'm not about caring, i'm about winning," (Character Analysis Video, 5m50s) and he uses unorthodox methods to his advantage in order to win cases but above all, he is a fair lawyer and would never tamper with evidence to win a case. In addition, he says to Mike Ross, "good lawyers worry about facts, great lawyers worry about their opponents." i believe Harvey's conscientious behavior is a result of his desire for power and to control others. at a young age his mother left him and cheated on his father and the thought of his father not being enough for his mother had left the impression on Harvey that he did not want to seem futile. This had fueled his desire for power and control so that he wouldn't have to go through the same experience again. In conclusion, is conscientious behavior allows for his clients to trust him easily because not only is he always focused on winning, he always wants to win fairly which gains the trust of new clients easily.
Confident
Confidence is something that is a desired trait by many people, but its a trait that is not easily possessed, its something that you have to practice in order to grow your confidence. confidence is a person who is very self-assured and almost fearless in nerve wracking situations. Harvey Specter is the epitome of confidence, from the way he speaks, to the way he dresses. i believe that he acts this way as a result of how he was socialized working as a lawyer. in one of the very first episodes he tells mike, "When I got here, I dominated. They thought I worked 100 hours a day. Now, no matter what time I get in, nobody questions my ability to get the job done." He entered a highly competitive job and in order to stand out, he had to dress the part and act the part, so much so that the other people around him also started to believe in his ability to perform. He understands that your appearance not only affects the way you perform, but it also affects your confidence which is why no matter if he is at work or at the gym, he always tries to look the best. As a result of his confidence, he can throw opposing lawyers off because when he says something, people believe it, so if he calls a bluff which could throw the opposing lawyer off they wouldn't know if hes bluffing or telling the truth. His level of confidence allows him to thrive in his field of work.
Arrogant
Arrogance is described as an exaggerated sense of ones own importance or abilities. Why is Harvey portrayed as arrogant? i believe its because he does not want people to walk all over him. In a mock trial that they have at Pearson Hardman, Harvey is put on trial by his superior, Jessica Pearson, she asks Harvey why he refuses to let people know that he cares about them and what they think. He dodges the question telling Jessica to "Just let it go" and she proceeds to ask Harvey what kind of damage was done to him, and before she could finish her sentence "Caring only makes you..." Harvey interrupts her saying, "Weak, they think you care, they walk all over you." I believe that it is a result of how he grew up; growing up poor can lead to parental indifference where a child may have certain needs that needs to be attended to, but the parents can't meet those needs so as a result he fears the feeling of letting others know that he cares because he doesn't want to be walked over. The main consequence of this behavior is that he comes off as an ass hole to everyone around him and he tends to make enemies very easily with anyone against him, which leads to many people wanting to attack him and see him fall.
Background
Government and Law
After Harvey got his promotion to senior partner at Pearson Hardman, he was required to hire an associate from Harvard Law but harvey is a risk taker and he didn't want to hire a boring associate to work with. he stumbled onto Mike Ross, a drug dealer who was about to get caught by the police but he was saved by Harvey when he surprised him with his knowledge of the law so harvey hired him. the problem with this is that it's illegal for Mike to pose as a legitimate lawyer and both Harvey an Mike can get jail time if they are caught.
Relationship
Harvey is currently married to his long time best friend and secretary, Donna Paulsen. she had been his secretary and right hand man ever since he started working as a lawyer. although caring a lot about each other, and to others it seemed as if they had an affair going on behind the scenes, they genuinely cared for each other and would do whatever it takes to help the each other out. They later got married after Donna had expressed her feelings towards Harvey while he was in a relationship, which confused Harvey but eventually led to bringing the two closer together and now they ended up getting married.
Trauma
At a young age, Harvey had walked in on his mother cheating on his father after he was sent home from school for being sick. at a later age in life, Harvey started seeing a therapist after he had a panic attack after losing his best friend, Donna. it was the first time he had felt neglected in years after the incidents with his parents. he had a flash back of the very first time he walked in on his mother cheating and he remembers vaguely, the words she said to him "you poor thing" which is the reason he has to see a therapist for this problem.
Family and Childhood
Harvey Reginald Specter is one of the main characters in the television series suits. He grew up with a poor family in RiverSide,NewYork. He had one younger brother, Marcus Specter, and they lived with both their parents Gordon and Lily Specter. Harvey started working in the mail room at a law firm where he was later discovered by Jessica Pearson who offered to pay for Harvey to study at Harvard Law school and after graduating, he would later work for Jessica Pearson at her law firm, Pearson Hardman
