Theos-Talk Archives (May 2005 Message tt00514)

Dear Morten and all,

The article (written by Shah?) you posted about people's drives 
toward confrontation and support reminds me of the notion of the 
drama triangle which is discussed here:

http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/games/drama_triangle.
htm
(sorry about the broken link)

By introducing a third element into the equation, this model helps 
us understand the very unstable equilibrium between persecutor, 
victim, and rescuer. The drama triangle is like a vortex that sucks 
us in without our knowing how or why. Online interaction magnifies 
opportunities to get sucked into the triangle. For me the greatest 
sense of vertigo is in the rescuer role; I've jumped into other 
peoples' dramas many times without a moment's reflection. Of 
course, one can soon become a victim in this situation-- e.g. 
jumping in to defend victims of Baha'i persecution leads to one 
being targeted for attack oneself. The victim role is somewhat 
easier to be conscious of because it is so uncomfortable. You'd 
have to be a masochist to enjoy victimization, or a sadist to enjoy 
persecution, but we almost all enjoy feeling like rescuers.

The problem lies, of course, in the unstable equilibrium and the way 
roles shift. For example, those who hate Tillett's book and 
denounce him (which I see as persecution of a scholar by religious 
maniacs) perceive themselves as rescuers of poor innocent CWL. 
(There are parallels to this.) But if they victimize someone, they 
are persecutors even if they imagine themselves to be rescuers. And 
so on...

Many ongoing dramas in theos-talk can be better understood in light 
of this model. Who is the persecutor, victim, rescuer in this 
particular drama? How does their performance in this role drag 
others into complementary roles? How do the roles shift?

Cheers,

Paul