Recently, in one of my analyses, I mentioned the works of two well-known psychologists — Eric Berne and his student, Stephen Karpman. Today, I’d like to briefly summarise the differences between the three behavioural roles identified by Eric Berne and the three completely different roles described in Karpman’s triangle. Let’s start with Berne’s model and then move on to the model developed by his student, Karpman.

Eric Berne identified three basic ego states: Parent, Child, and Adult. How do they differ? Let’s take a brief look at each of them. The Child relies on feelings, often behaves spontaneously, is prone to resentment, and is not inclined to analyse situations. The Parent tends to control everything and everyone, gives many instructions, and then strictly monitors their execution. The Adult is the most balanced player in this trio. They are logical, open to dialogue, able to analyse situations, and capable of making rational decisions. This is the behavioural model we should strive for. And I think it is quite obvious that all three of these ego states can be found within us at any age.

In his Drama Triangle, Karpman describes a completely different scenario of human interaction, showing how people can unconsciously become trapped in destructive roles, thereby making relationships ineffective and degrading. The roles in this triangle are the Victim, the Persecutor, and the Rescuer. Interestingly, these roles are fluid, meaning that the same person can switch from one role to another several times, even within a single conversation. In addition, all participants in the triangle may change roles over time: the victim can become the rescuer, the persecutor can become the victim, and so on. In general, this cycle can repeat indefinitely, and our task is to recognise what is happening and consciously break out of it by replacing unhealthy roles with healthier ones.

As you can see, we have a broad and incredibly interesting field of exploration ahead of us — so stay tuned, and see you next time!