Karpman drama triangle
Encyclopedia
The drama triangle is a psychological and social model
of human interaction in transactional analysis
(TA) first described by Stephen Karpman, in his 1968 article Fairy Tales and Script Drama Analysis. The Drama Triangle model is used in psychology
and psychotherapy
.
s (or roleplays) which people often take in a situation:
Of these, the "rescuer" is the least obvious role. In the terms of the drama triangle, the "rescuer" is not a person helping someone in an emergency. It is someone who has a mixed or covert motive that is actually benefiting ego
ically in some way from being "the one who rescues". The rescuer has a surface motive of resolving the problem, and appears to make great efforts to solve it, but also has a hidden motive to not succeed, or to succeed in a way that they benefit. For example, they may feel a sense of self-esteem
or status as a "rescuer", or enjoy having someone dependent or trusting of them - and act in a way that ostensibly seems to be trying to help, but at a deeper level plays upon the victim in order to continue getting their payoff. (See below). As noted Transactional Analyst Claude Steiner
says:
The situation plays out when a situation arises and a person takes a role as victim or persecutor. Others then take the other roles. Thereafter 'the two players move around the triangle, thus switching roles', so that for example the victim turns on the rescuer, or the rescuer switches to persecuting. At times a third person may be enveloped in the situation.
When defensiveness shows up the victim feels hurt and seeks revenge, and so becomes the persecutor. The persecutor may be attacked by the victim or rescuer when they go too far, or may feel guilty, and therefore becomes a victim or rescuer. The rescuer feels the hopelessness and frustration of trying hard to 'fix' the problem and engages in blame or is blamed, becoming persecutor or victim. As a result of these dynamics, each person moves from role to role, unconsciously, habitually, and frustratingly.
The covert purpose for each "player" and the reason the situation endures is that each gets their unspoken (and frequently unconscious) psychological wishes/needs met in a manner they feel justified, without having to acknowledge the broader dysfunction
or harm done in the situation as a whole. As such, each player is acting upon their own selfish 'needs', rather than acting in a genuinely responsible or altruistic manner.. Thus a character might 'ordinarily c[o]me on like a plaintive victim; it is now clear that she can switch into the role of Persecutor providing it is "accidental" and she apologises for it'.
The game is similar to the melodrama
of hero
, villain
, and damsel in distress
(such as Dudley Do-Right
, Snidely Whiplash
, and Nell Fenwick).
In transactional analysis, the drama triangle is sometimes referred to in the context of mind games
- 'the unconscious games played by innocent people' - such as: – Why Don't You/Yes But; If It Weren't For You; Why does this Always Happen to Me?; See What You Made Me Do; You Got Me Into This; Look How Hard I've Tried; I'm Only Trying to Help You; and Let's You and Him Fight.
The relationship between the victim and the rescuer can be one of codependency. The Rescuer keeps the Victim dependent on them by playing into their Victimhood. The Victim gets their needs met by having the rescuer take care of them.
, such as a firefighter who saves a victim from a burning building or a lifeguard who saves a victim from drowning. As a drama
role, there is something dishonest or unspoken about the Rescuer's attempts, or at best, a mixed motive or need to be a rescuer or have a victim to help. In fact, 'The Karpman Triangle game inhibits real problem-solving...creates confusion and distress, not solutions'. A drama triangle "Rescuer" plays the role more because they are driven to be a rescuer than because the victim needs their involvement, as in the case of a fireman/rescuer.
In Eric Berne
's words, 'The first group, is playing "I'm Only Trying to Help You", while the others are helping people'.
Games in this sense, are devices used (often unconscious
ly) by a person to create a circumstance where they can justifiably feel certain resulting feelings (such as anger
or superiority) or justifiably take or avoid taking certain actions where their own inner wishes differ from societal expectation. They are always a substitute for a more genuine and full adult emotion and response which would be more appropriate.
Three quantitative variables are often useful to consider for games:
Based on the degree of acceptability and potential harm, games are classified into three categories, representing socially acceptable games, undesirable but not irreversibly damaging games, or games which may result in drastic harm. Their consequences may vary from lots of small paybacks (the girl who keeps meeting nice guys who ditch her) through to payback built up over a long period to a major level (i.e. court, mortuary, or similar). Each game has a payoff for those playing it. The antithesis of a game (that is, the way to break it) lies in discovering how to deprive the actors of their payoff.
The first such game theorized was Why don't you/Yes, but in which one player (White) would pose a problem as if seeking help, and the other player(s) (Black) would offer solutions. White would point out a flaw in every Black player's solution (the "Yes, but" response), until they all gave up in frustration
. The secondary gain for White was that he could claim to have justified his problem as unsolvable and thus avoid the hard work of internal change; and for Black, to either feel the frustrated martyr
("I was only trying to help") or a superior being, disrespected ("the patient was uncooperative").
In the Drama Triangle, the "role switch" is 'the same switch that is included in the formula for games' - occurs when one player, after stable roles have become established, suddenly changes role. The victim becomes a persecutor, and throws the previous persecutor into the victim role, or the rescuer suddenly switches to become a persecutor ("You never appreciate me helping you!").
'Karpman has many interesting variables in his fully developed theory, besides role switches. These include space switches (private-public, open-closed, near-far) which precede, cause, or follow role switches, and script velocity (number of role switches in a given unit of time)'.
Social Model
A social, or socioeconomic, model, is the value system associated with the structure of a nation's political economy. There are no set rules that define a social model, only loose definitions characterized by certain attributes.-Taxation:...
of human interaction in transactional analysis
Transactional analysis
Transactional analysis, commonly known as TA to its adherents, is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy. It is described as integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive approaches...
(TA) first described by Stephen Karpman, in his 1968 article Fairy Tales and Script Drama Analysis. The Drama Triangle model is used in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
.
The three roles
The model posits three habitual psychological roleRole
A role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual social status or social position...
s (or roleplays) which people often take in a situation:
- The person who is treated as, or accepts the role of, a victim
- The person who pressures, coerces or persecutesPersecutionPersecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
the victim, and - The rescueRescueRescue refers to responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury during an incident or dangerous situation....
r, who intervenes, seemingly out of a desire to help the situation or the underdogUnderdog (competition)An underdog is a person or group in a competition, frequently in electoral politics, sports and creative works, who is popularly expected to lose. The party, team or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the rare case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an upset. These...
.
Of these, the "rescuer" is the least obvious role. In the terms of the drama triangle, the "rescuer" is not a person helping someone in an emergency. It is someone who has a mixed or covert motive that is actually benefiting ego
EGO
See also Egoism Ego is a Latin word meaning "I", cognate with the Greek "Εγώ " meaning "I", often used in English to mean the "self", "identity" or other related concepts.It may also refer to:...
ically in some way from being "the one who rescues". The rescuer has a surface motive of resolving the problem, and appears to make great efforts to solve it, but also has a hidden motive to not succeed, or to succeed in a way that they benefit. For example, they may feel a sense of self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
or status as a "rescuer", or enjoy having someone dependent or trusting of them - and act in a way that ostensibly seems to be trying to help, but at a deeper level plays upon the victim in order to continue getting their payoff. (See below). As noted Transactional Analyst Claude Steiner
Claude Steiner
Claude Steiner is a psychotherapist who has written extensively about transactional analysis . His writings have focused especially on life scripts, alcoholism, emotional literacy, and Interpersonal power plays.-Early life:...
says:
- ... the Victim is not really as helpless as he feels, the Rescuer is not really helping, and the Persecutor does not really have a valid complaint. http://www.claudesteiner.com/hea1.htm
The situation plays out when a situation arises and a person takes a role as victim or persecutor. Others then take the other roles. Thereafter 'the two players move around the triangle, thus switching roles', so that for example the victim turns on the rescuer, or the rescuer switches to persecuting. At times a third person may be enveloped in the situation.
When defensiveness shows up the victim feels hurt and seeks revenge, and so becomes the persecutor. The persecutor may be attacked by the victim or rescuer when they go too far, or may feel guilty, and therefore becomes a victim or rescuer. The rescuer feels the hopelessness and frustration of trying hard to 'fix' the problem and engages in blame or is blamed, becoming persecutor or victim. As a result of these dynamics, each person moves from role to role, unconsciously, habitually, and frustratingly.
The covert purpose for each "player" and the reason the situation endures is that each gets their unspoken (and frequently unconscious) psychological wishes/needs met in a manner they feel justified, without having to acknowledge the broader dysfunction
Dysfunction
Dysfunction can refer to:* Abnormality * Dysfunctional family* Sexual dysfunction* Dysfunction , an album by the rock band Staind...
or harm done in the situation as a whole. As such, each player is acting upon their own selfish 'needs', rather than acting in a genuinely responsible or altruistic manner.. Thus a character might 'ordinarily c[o]me on like a plaintive victim; it is now clear that she can switch into the role of Persecutor providing it is "accidental" and she apologises for it'.
The game is similar to the melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
of hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
, villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
, and damsel in distress
Damsel in distress
The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction,...
(such as Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right, created by Alex Anderson, is the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film in the form of the Northern genre....
, Snidely Whiplash
Snidely Whiplash
Snidely Whiplash is the cartoon arch-villain to Dudley Do-Right in the tongue-in-cheek Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by American animation pioneer Jay Ward....
, and Nell Fenwick).
In transactional analysis, the drama triangle is sometimes referred to in the context of mind games
Mind Games
Mind Games is John Lennon's fourth post-Beatles album, and was recorded and released in 1973. Like his previous album, the politically topical and somewhat abrasive Some Time in New York City, Mind Games was poorly received by music critics...
- 'the unconscious games played by innocent people' - such as: – Why Don't You/Yes But; If It Weren't For You; Why does this Always Happen to Me?; See What You Made Me Do; You Got Me Into This; Look How Hard I've Tried; I'm Only Trying to Help You; and Let's You and Him Fight.
The relationship between the victim and the rescuer can be one of codependency. The Rescuer keeps the Victim dependent on them by playing into their Victimhood. The Victim gets their needs met by having the rescuer take care of them.
"Rescuer" vs rescuer
The "game" position of Rescuer is distinct from that of a genuine rescuer in an emergencyEmergency
An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
, such as a firefighter who saves a victim from a burning building or a lifeguard who saves a victim from drowning. As a drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
role, there is something dishonest or unspoken about the Rescuer's attempts, or at best, a mixed motive or need to be a rescuer or have a victim to help. In fact, 'The Karpman Triangle game inhibits real problem-solving...creates confusion and distress, not solutions'. A drama triangle "Rescuer" plays the role more because they are driven to be a rescuer than because the victim needs their involvement, as in the case of a fireman/rescuer.
In Eric Berne
Eric Berne
Eric Berne was a Canadian-born psychiatrist best known as the creator of transactional analysis and the author of Games People Play.-Background and education:...
's words, 'The first group, is playing "I'm Only Trying to Help You", while the others are helping people'.
Overview and theory
A "game" in Transactional Analysis is a series of transactions that is complementary (reciprocal), ulterior, and proceeds towards a predictable outcome. Games are often characterized by a switch in roles of players towards the end. The number of 'players' may vary.Games in this sense, are devices used (often unconscious
Unconscious mind
The unconscious mind is a term coined by the 18th century German romantic philosopher Friedrich Schelling and later introduced into English by the poet and essayist Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
ly) by a person to create a circumstance where they can justifiably feel certain resulting feelings (such as anger
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
or superiority) or justifiably take or avoid taking certain actions where their own inner wishes differ from societal expectation. They are always a substitute for a more genuine and full adult emotion and response which would be more appropriate.
Three quantitative variables are often useful to consider for games:
- Flexibility: The ability of the players to change the currency of the game (that is, the tools they use to play it). 'Some games...can be played properly with only one kind of currency, while others, such as exhibitionistic games, are more flexible', so that players may shift from words, to money, to parts of the body.
- Tenacity: 'Some people give up their games easily, others are more persistent, referring to the way people stick to their games and their resistance to breaking with them.
- Intensity: 'Some people play their games in a relaxed way, others are more tense and aggressive. Games so played are known as easy and hard games, respectively', the latter being played in a tense and aggressiveAggressive“Aggressive” is a New York-based Grammy award-winning music video and commercial directing team of Alex Topaller and Daniel Shapiro.Aggressive has been described by Movie Creation Mag as “having a fascination with the wonderful, in the likes of the surrealist Rafal Olbinski” and “tenacious about...
way.
Based on the degree of acceptability and potential harm, games are classified into three categories, representing socially acceptable games, undesirable but not irreversibly damaging games, or games which may result in drastic harm. Their consequences may vary from lots of small paybacks (the girl who keeps meeting nice guys who ditch her) through to payback built up over a long period to a major level (i.e. court, mortuary, or similar). Each game has a payoff for those playing it. The antithesis of a game (that is, the way to break it) lies in discovering how to deprive the actors of their payoff.
The first such game theorized was Why don't you/Yes, but in which one player (White) would pose a problem as if seeking help, and the other player(s) (Black) would offer solutions. White would point out a flaw in every Black player's solution (the "Yes, but" response), until they all gave up in frustration
Frustration
This article concerns the field of psychology. The term frustration does, however, also concern physics. In this context, the term is treated in a different article, geometric frustration....
. The secondary gain for White was that he could claim to have justified his problem as unsolvable and thus avoid the hard work of internal change; and for Black, to either feel the frustrated martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
("I was only trying to help") or a superior being, disrespected ("the patient was uncooperative").
In the Drama Triangle, the "role switch" is 'the same switch that is included in the formula for games' - occurs when one player, after stable roles have become established, suddenly changes role. The victim becomes a persecutor, and throws the previous persecutor into the victim role, or the rescuer suddenly switches to become a persecutor ("You never appreciate me helping you!").
'Karpman has many interesting variables in his fully developed theory, besides role switches. These include space switches (private-public, open-closed, near-far) which precede, cause, or follow role switches, and script velocity (number of role switches in a given unit of time)'.
Further reading
- Berne, Eric (1964). Games People PlayGames People Play (book)Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships is a 1964 bestselling book by psychiatrist Eric Berne. Since its publication it has sold more than five million copies. The book describes both functional and dysfunctional social interactions....
. Ballantine Books (August 27, 1996). ISBN-10: 0345410033. ISBN-13: 978-0345410030. - Forrest, Lynne. Drama Triangle: The 3 Faces of Victim
- Harris, Thomas A., MD. (1967). I'm OK, You're OKI'm OK, You're OKI'm OK, You're OK, by Thomas A Harris MD, is one of the best selling self-help books ever published. It is a practical guide to Transactional Analysis as a method for solving problems in life...
. Galahad Books (November 27, 2004). ISBN-10: 1578660750. ISBN-13: 978-1578660759. - Womeldorff, David EmeraldDavid Emerald WomeldorffDavid Emerald Womeldorff is an author, consultant, master facilitator, executive coach and speaker. He is known for creating the self-development principle referred to as TED*...
(2009). The Power of TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic) - (Updated and Revised). Polaris Publishing Group; Second edition (January 15, 2009). ISBN-10: 0977144119. ISBN-13: 978-0977144112. - Zimberoff, Diane (1989). Breaking Free from the Victim Trap: Reclaiming Your Personal Power. Wellness Press; 5th (2011, November 7) edition. ISBN-10: 0962272809. ISBN-13: 978-0962272806.
External links
- FAIRY TALES AND SCRIPT DRAMA ANALYSIS,Transactional Analysis Bulletin, Vol 7, No. 26, April, 1968, Stephen B. Karpman, M.D.
- THE NEW DRAMA TRIANGLES, USATAA/ITAA conference lecture, August 11, 2007, Stephen B. Karpman, M.D.
- Drama Triangle - Stephen Karpman's site including the original articles
- Karpman Drama Triangle Summary - An enhanced diagram of the KDT with links to several articles on its interpersonal manifestations by a neuropsychologist.
- The Drama Triangle - TA-Tutor.com
- Victim, Persecutor and Rescuer: Which Role Do You Play?