The Karpman Drama Triangle Explained: A Guide for Coaches, Managers, Trainers, Therapists – and Everybody Else

by Chris West

The Karpman Drama Triangle is a psychological model used around the world in coaching, management, training and therapy. This book explains it in a concise, jargon-free way, for professionals in these fields, for students, and for inquisitive non-specialists.Why do people act out Drama? How do they do it? What can we do about it, for ourselves and other people? This book answers these questions.It begins by showing the Drama Triangle in action. What does Drama look like? It then goes into detail about the three Drama Triangle Persecutor, Victim and Rescuer. It explains how everyone finds themselves compelled to play these roles, though some people play them a lot more than others. It shows how everyone is taught the roles as children; how the roles are encouraged in our adult lives; and how they appear to bring benefits like power, identity, structure and authenticity, but actually don’t.Next, the book introduces what Eric Berne called ‘Games’. Once playing a role, someone can invite other people onto the Triangle and get them playing complementary roles. The inviter can then switch roles – the Triangle is dynamic, not static. This switch often compels other people to change roles, too. If you’ve had that feeling of “What the hell just happened there?”, you’ve probably been switched.Games can be painful, demoralizing and energy-sapping……but they can be avoided.The book shows how some environments are more conducive to Drama and Games than others. It suggests ways of changing such environments – where possible. Sadly, some environments are inevitably toxic. We can learn to spot them (the book provides hints), then either avoid them or enter them with powerful armour.This armour is the subject of the second half of the book.The book shows how we can get out of a Drama if we see one brewing, using the author’s own Drama DEFCON model. It shows us how to look after ourselves if we’ve been in a Drama and, especially, if we’ve been switched. It explains why we often feel the need to ‘have the last word’ – and why this is a bad idea.Relationships can be ruined by long-running Dramas or regular rounds of Game-playing. The author calls such endless re-runs ‘Sagas’, and presents his Seven Step Model for sorting them out, for once and for all.For coaches and therapists, or anyone seeking personal change themselves, the author presents his coaching / therapeutic tool, the Drama-Ditching Wheel.Finally, the book shows how we can live without Drama. Getting rid of Drama can, strangely, leave a hole in our lives. There are constructive ways to fill this hole so we never feel the need to act out those inauthentic and hurtful roles of Persecutor, Victim and Rescuer ever again.The book is for coaches, managers (especially HR professionals), trainers, therapists – and anyone else who is fascinated by human psychology, who wants to live a better, happier life and who would like to help others do the same.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

181 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

I grew up in a country village north of London. As a boy I filled endless notebooks with stories - not all of them finished! As a young man I played in various (unsuccessful) bands, then worked in the City of London. I studied philosophy and economics as a 'mature' student (though I wasn't very mature). After leaving uni I went backpacking in China, and wrote a book about that adventure which came out in 1991. Since then, writing has (along with family) been at the heart of my life, though I've had other jobs, too, largely in Marketing and PR, working with small businesses. In 2008, I found an old stamp album in the attic of my parents' old house, and became fascinated by the contents and the way they seemed to mirror history. Each stamp was a tiny, rectangular time machine! In the end, I had to write a book along these lines: A History of Britain in 36 Postage Stamps was the result. I have now done the same for the USA - a fascinating journey into American history (and a great pleasure to collect the nation's stamps). I live in North Hertfordshire with my wife and daughter.

a.k.a Christopher West|6453491].

Reviews

[Nerea Baena · Rating 5 out of 5]

El triángulo de Karpman me pareció un libro muy ameno de leer, incluso si no tienes formación en psicología. Lo que más me gustó es que te hace mirarte de frente y ser honesta contigo misma, reconociendo los roles que adoptas en tus relaciones aunque a veces no quieras admitirlo. Me llevó a reflexionar sobre el origen de ciertas actitudes y necesidades personales, y a entender por qué reacciono de determinadas maneras. Al final, lo que me dejó fue una sensación de mucha honestidad conmigo misma, como si el libro me hubiera puesto un espejo delante de forma clara pero también muy accesible.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro que habría que leerse cada poco tiempo e incluso llevar como una guía todos los días. Lo que más me ha gustado ha sido que hubiera un inicio de teoría e información objetiva con ejemplos muy claros y que al final hablara de prácticas para salir de ese triángulo y de la psicología positiva.

[Alicia Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aprendes a gestionar la inmadurez dentro de tus círculos personales y frente al mundo.

[Edna Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Serenity

A playbook to guide people thru the minefield of interpersonal relationships and the Drama as practised in the triangle of rescuers, persecutors and victims. Clarification of life's potential and the need for Positive psychology is presented.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical Step by Step Theory and How Tips

I needed this book so much, it thought me what courses on the same topic couldn’t do, it gave me practical steps on how to move forward, and helped open up my mind which roles I play every day.

[Valerie McGurk · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read with clear explanations and exercises to try. Lots to think about.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars; 4 stars for the message, 3 for the form; West does not present any original insights, just provides an explainer, which in itself makes this a worthwhile read; the author does not mention the counterpart positive version of the Dreaded Drama Triangle; the Winner's triangle by Choy; an omission worth mentioning; on the subject also check out: The Power of TED.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful summary of Karpman’s theory and an excellent introduction for beginners. I first heard about Karpman a few years ago and there is now never a wee goes by that I don’t find myself referencing The Drama Triangle as clients relate their stories of other people’s performance and behaviour. I consider this essential reading if you lead or manage people.

[Weronika Niemczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clearly explained with simple examples highly recommended

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

READ DEC 2023

This is a readable overview of the Karpman Drama Triangle. The examples help make realistic the theory behind this model.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every fucking one should read this and be aware of it.
It should be teached at school.

This book changed my life.