Stephen Karpman devised a simple yet powerful diagram for analyzing games, the drama triangle. He suggested that whenever people play games, they are stepping into one of three script roles: Persecutor, Rescuer or Victim.

2. Prepared By
Manu Melwin Joy
Research Scholar
School of Management Studies
CUSAT, Kerala, India.
Phone – 9744551114
Mail – manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com
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3. Drama Triangle
• Stephen Karpman
devised a simple yet
powerful diagram for
analyzing games, the
drama triangle.
• He suggested that
whenever people play
games, they are
stepping into one of
three script roles:
Persecutor, Rescuer or
Victim.

6. Persecutor
• He is someone who puts
other people down and
belittles them.
• The persecutor views
others as being one
down and not ok.

7. Persecutor

8. Rescuer
• He sees others as being
not OK and one down.
• But the rescuer responds
by offering help from a
one up position.

9. Rescuer

10. Victim
• He is himself one down
and not OK.
• Sometimes, the victim
will seek a persecutor to
put him down and push
him around.
• The victim may be in
search of a rescuer who
will offer help and
confirm the victim’s
belief “I can’t cope on my
own”.

11. Victim

12. Example

13. Drama Triangle
• Every one of the drama
triangle roles entails a
discount. Both persecutor
and rescuer discount others.
• The persecutor discounts
other’s value and dignity.
Extreme persecutor may
discount other people’s right
to life and physical health.
• The rescuer discounts others
abilities to think for
themselves and act on their
own initiative.
• A victim discounts himself.

15. Activity
• Take one minute to
write down all the
words you can think of
that might be applied
to a persecutor.
• Do the same for a
Rescuer and for a
victim.

16. Drama Roles
• All three drama
triangle roles are
inauthentic.
• When people are in
one of these roles, they
are responding to the
past rather than to the
here and now.
• They are using old
scripty strategies they
decided upon as
children or took on
board from their
parents.

17. Drama Triangle
• To signal the
inauthenticity of the
triangle roles, the
words Persecutor,
Rescuer and Victim are
spelled with initial
capitals.
• If we spell the words
beginning with small
letters, we mean real
life persecutors,
rescuers or victims.

18. Activity
• Can you think of a real life
persecutor who would not
also be a persecutor.
• What would be examples
of the difference between
an authentic rescuer and a
person playing the role of
Rescuer.
• Would you say it is
possible for anyone to be
a victim without also
being a Victim.

19. Switch
• Usually, someone who
is playing a game will
start at one of the
positions and then will
switch to another.
• This switch in Drama
Triangle positions
takes place at the
moment of the Switch
in the Game formula.

20. Activity
• What drama triangle
switched did you make
in your own personal
game example.

21. OK Triangle
• In every game, there are
at least 10 % OK reasons
in each P, R, V corner.
• Every idea spoken has at
least 10% truth in it.
• 10 % of population react
the same way.
• 10 % of what you are
saying is not true
anyway.

22. Rhoda’s Triangle

25. Thank You

26. Other TA topics available on slideshare
1. Strokes - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/strokes-24081607.
2. Games People Play - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/psychological-
games-people-play.
3. Structural Analysis - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/the-ego-state-model.
4. What is TA? - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/what-ta-is
5. Cycles of Development - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/cycles-of-
developement-pamela-levin-transactional-analysis.
6. Stages of Cure - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/stages-of-cure.
7. Transactions - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/transactions-33677298.
8. Time Structuring - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/time-structuring.
9. Life Position - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/life-position.
10. Autonomy - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/autonomy-33690557.
11. Structural Pathology - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/structural-pathology.
12. Game Analysis - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/game-analysis-33725636.
13. Integrated Adult - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/integrated-adult.
14. Stroke Economy - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/stroke-economy-
33826702.