Karpman drama triangle
Karpman described how in some cases these roles were not undertaken in an honest manner to resolve the presenting problem, but rather were used fluidly and switched between by the actors in a way that achieved unconscious goals and agendas.
[1] The Karpman Drama Triangle models the connection between personal responsibility and power in conflicts, and the destructive and shifting roles people play.
[1] Initially a drama triangle arises when a person takes on the role of a victim or persecutor.
[citation needed] Any character might "ordinarily come on like a plaintive victim; it is now clear that the one can switch into the role of Persecutor providing it is 'accidental' and the one apologizes for it".
The rescuer may get a self-esteem boost, for example, or receive respected rescue status, or derive enjoyment by having someone depend on or trust him or her 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 a payoff.
[citation needed] Participants generally tend to have a primary or habitual role (victim, rescuer, persecutor) when they enter into drama triangles.
Prior to this time, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts focused on the patient's already-developed psyche and downplayed outside detractors.
[1] In the 1950s, Eric Berne developed transactional analysis, a method for studying interactions between individuals.
While Freud relied on asking patients about themselves, Berne felt that a therapist could learn by observing what was communicated (words, body language, facial expressions) in a transaction.
[1] Murray Bowen, a pioneer in family systems theory, began his early work with schizophrenics at the Menninger Clinic, from 1946 to 1954.
[1] Bowen studied the dyad of the mother and her schizophrenic child while he had them both living in a research unit at the Menninger clinic.
[1] He first published his theory in an article entitled "Fairy Tales and Script Drama Analysis".
His article, in part, examined the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" to illustrate its points.
Karpman was, at the time, a recent graduate of Duke University School of Medicine and was doing post post-graduate studies under Berne.
[citation needed] Eric Berne, a Canadian-born psychiatrist, created the theory of transactional analysis, in the middle of the 20th century, as a way of explaining human behavior.
Games in this sense are devices used (often unconsciously) by people 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 expectations.
[12] While transactional analysis is the method for studying interactions between individuals,[13] one researcher postulates that drama-based leaders can instill an organizational culture of drama.
[15] The Power of TED*, first published in 2009, recommends that the "victim" adopt the alternative role of creator, view the persecutor as a challenger, and enlist a coach instead of a rescuer.
