The Winner's Triangle

Acey Choy
Abstract be used to analyze the story line of a life script,
and in more current usage, the roles of
The Winner's Triangle, a useful and easi- psychological games. The comers of both the
ly taught antithesis to the Karpman Drama Karpman Drama Triangle and the Winner's
Triangle (Karpman, 1968), eliminates the Triangle share common features. However,
discounts inherent in the three roles of the each comer of the Drama Triangle involves a
Drama Triangle and replaces each with a discount, and the discount is an invitation to
specific skill for game-free relating. This ar- a psychological game. The Winner's Triangle
ticle details features of the roles of both eliminates the discounts and allows the subject
triangles and provides suggestions for to function autonomously.
developing skills for functioning from each
corner of the Winner's Triangle. Victim Role in the Drama Triangle
Valid Component ofthe Victim Position. Per-
sons who initiate a game from the Victim posi-
Useful clinical applications of theory, like tion accurately realize that they are suffering.
good recipes, get passed from practitioner to Discount from the Victim Position. Victims
practitioner, and in the process their origin can act as if they do not have the resources to solve
become obscure. The concept of the Winner's their problems, as if the resources must come
Triangle, which has been circulating among from outside, and as if they can feel OK only
some Australian TA practitioners, appears to if someone else either changes or does
have some roots in an article by Cowper something. In cases of genuine catastrophe
Johnson in the informal newsletter, Transac- (e.g., being pinned under a boulder in an earth-
tions, entitled, "Another Use for the Karpman quake) this is true. In game situations there is
Triangle." Cowper Johnson argues that peo- no substance to the implication that the Victim
ple functioning within the Drama Triangle lacks the resources to solve the problem.
(Karpman, 1968)alternate between two comers Characteristics of Victim Behavior. Victims
and avoid the third. Escaping from the Drama do not use clear thinking and problem-solving
Triangle involves awareness of the personal skills and may believe their neediness and
significance of the third comer and practice in strong feelings prevent them from being able
the skills necessary to deal with it. to do so. They discount their ability to think
I have elaborated on this original concept and and feel at the same time.
developed what I believe to be a fail-safe alter- Examples ofVictim Behavior: missing assign-
native to relating from the Drama Triangle. The ment deadlines; continuing to live in violent
Winner's Triangle incorporates practical skills relationships; being "too scared" to confront
for game-free relating and can be illustrated someone who is overbearing; maintaining that
quickly in clinical situations. It can be applied one cannot be happy until a spouse stops some
wherever interpersonal skills are emphasized, behavior like drinking, chewing too loudly, etc.
such as training, management, and dealing with
hospital patients, colleagues, and the public. Rescuer Role in the Drama Triangle
The Karpman Drama Triangle (Karpman, Valid Component of Rescuer Position.
1968, 1973) demonstrated how dramatic Rescuers rescue in order to meet their own need
roles-Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor-can to feel superior or to convince themselves they

40 Transactional Analysis Journal

 THE WINNER'S TRIANGLE

PERSECUTOR RESCUER
Reality Reality
Act in own interests Concern for Victim
Characteristics of Persecutors Characteristics of Rescuers
Others suffer on account of their
Take over the thinking and problem
behavior
solving
Part of the Persecutor's goal is to Do more than their share
punish Do things they do not want to do
Discounts Discount
The Victim doesn't matter The Victim cannot solve his/her
problem
(Retaliatory mode) I can't be OK
unless you get punished.

V
(Victim)

VICTIM
Reality
Suffering or potentially suffering
Characteristics of Victims
Act as if they do not have the resources to
solve their problem (or someone else has to
change for them to be happy)
Act as if their neediness is so acute it prevents
them from solving problems (do notthink
and feel at the same time)
Do not use Adult ego state for thinking and
problem solving
Discount
I can't solve this

Figure 1
Drama Triangle

are OK; however, most Rescuers are genuine- Rescuing involves discounting one's own
ly concerned about the Victim's plight. awareness of what one wants and also not be-
Discount from the Rescuer Position. ing clear about what is "a fair distribution of
Rescuers express their concern for the Victim a relationship's burdens" (Steiner, 1984, p.
by taking over the thinking and problem solv- 172).
ing, thus discounting the Victim's ability to Examples ofRescuer Behavior: giving exten-
assess the situation, take appropriate action, and sions to students who miss deadlines, buying
ask for help if needed. equipment for staff without checking to see if
Characteristics ofRescuer Behavior. Claude that is what is needed, buying clothesfor children
Steiner (1974, 1984) pointed out that Rescuers without checking to see what the children want,
either a) do something they do not want to do accepting that one person is too scared to tell
or b) do more than their share (often more of another that she is imposing and agreeing to do
the thinking). Steiner further suggests that the telling on the first person's behalf.

Vol. 20, No.1, January 1990 41

ACEY CHOY

ASSERTIVE CARING
Reality Reality
Act in own interests Concern for the vulnerable person
Characteristics of Assertive People Characteristics of Caring People
Ask for what they want Assertive Caring Do not do the thinking
Say no to what they don't want
Do not take over unless asked (and
Give feedback and initiate
they want to)
negotiation
Do notdo more than their share
Make changes in order to get their
Do not do things they do not want
needs met
to do
Do not punish
Skill
Skills
Listening skills
Assertion skills
Self-awareness

Vulnerable

VULNERABLE
Reality
Suffering or potentially suffering

Characteristics of Vulnerable People

Use Adult ego state for thinking and problem
solving
Awareness - use their feelings as data for
problem solving
Skill
Problem solving
Self-awareness

Figure 2
Winner's Triangle
Persecutor Role in the Drama Triangle asking so that the other person unexpectedly finds
Valid Component of the Persecutor Position. it is missing. Such behavior almost always pro-
Persecutors are invested in satisfying their own vokes the Victim to switch to retaliation.
needs and acting in their own interests. Retaliatory Persecutors have in part the aim
Discount from the Persecutor Position. of punishing and experiencing triumph.
Persecutors behave in such a way that others are However, subjectively they are likely to believe
inconvenienced or suffer, thus discounting the that they are simply acting to get their needs met.
feelings and importance of the persons who are Examples of such behavior include dealing with
affected because of their actions. noise from a neighbor's stereo by phoning the
Characteristics of Persecutor Behavior. police without informing the neighbor that the
Persecutors can be active, retaliatory, or passive. noise was disturbing and asking that it be turned
Active Persecutors use their energy in the ser- down. Such initiatives are rarely effectivebecause
vice of getting their own needs met, which is part of the energy is tied up nonautonomously
laudable, but they use it in ways that discount in punishment and revenge (old, unfinished
others. Examples of active persecutor behavior business) which sets the stage for getting
include borrowing someone's jacket without themselves persecuted again in the next drama

42 Transactional Analysis Journal

 THE WINNER'S TRIANGLE

switch. In addition, Retaliatory Persecutors ac- that they can think and feel at the same time.
cept the discount that they can only be OK if In the course of problem solving they may in-
they get revenge ("I can't let the stinker get clude among their options asking for help,
away with that!"). resources, and support, knowing that if the per-
Passive Persecutors persecute by default. son they ask says' 'no, " they will explore other
Punishment is not necessarily part of their in- avenues for getting that need met.
tent, but they are willing to discount others at Skill Needed. The skill needed at the
a level that results in suffering for the others. vulnerable comer of the Winner's Triangle is
Examples of such behavior include a spouse the ability to problem solve.
who agrees to take the meat out of the freezer
and forgets and a health care worker so upset Caring Role on the Winner's Triangle
by a personal crisis that he works carelessly, Reality. The caring person, like most
thus causing others anxiety and worry. Rescuers, is motivated by a genuine concern
for the vulnerable person.
Switches on the Drama Triangle Characteristics of Caring People. Caring
Having entered a psychological game from people differ from Rescuers in that they respect
one of the three positions on the Drama the Vulnerable person's ability to think, prob-
Triangle, as Karpman (1968) pointed out, the lem solve, and ask for what he or she wants.
game progresses in such a way that individuals They do not take over unless asked and unless
"switch" to other roles on the triangle. For ex- they are willing. If they are willing, they may
ample, Rescuers who get tired of putting out offer to assist in a particular capacity. Because
and not getting their own needs met begin feel- caring people, unlike Rescuers, do not do
ing victimized themselves and finally end up things they do not want to do, caring people
persecuting the Victim with impatience. Or, use their capacity for awareness to monitor
Victims get tired of being patronized and feel- their own needs and feelings. This allows them
ing matters are out of their control (and inef- to decide responsibly whether or not they are
fectively managed at that) and start to persecute willing to be available to a vulnerable person
the Rescuer. Or, Persecutors move into in a particular capacity. If they do not want to
Rescuer because they feel guilty for being so be available, they assertively decline without
awful or into Victim because people get tired guilt. This "putting oneself first" circumvents
of being their Victim and retaliate actively by feeling put-upon, which almost always sets up
being nasty or passively by avoidance or not a switch to Persecutor. If one does not have a
trusting (thus precluding the Persecutor from therapy contract, the most fail-safe way to be
intimacy). available usefully to a Vulnerable person,
Consequently, all players end up feeling bad- without Rescuing, is by employing classic
ly sooner or later and glean an opportunity to listening skills.
mutter their favorite "it only goes to show Skill Needed. The skill needed at the caring
... ", adding fresh brown stamps to their col- corner of the Winner's Triangle is listening
lections (Berne, 1972). However, by switching skill.
to the roles and skills of the Winner's Triangle,
discounting ceases and there cannot be a game Assertive Role on the Winner's Triangle
or a game payoff. Reality. Assertive people, like active
Persecutors, use their energy to get their own
Vulnerable Role on the Winner's Triangle needs met and to stick up for their rights.
Reality. Like Victims, vulnerable people However, unlike Persecutors, they have no in-
realize they are suffering or have a problem terest in using their energy to punish.
which has the potential to cause suffering. Characteristics ofAssertive People. Ghandi
Characteristics of Vulnerable People. is supposed to have said that the important thing
Vulnerable people differ from Victims in that about fighting is whether you fight to change
they maintain access to Adult logic and engage things or whether you fight to punish. Asser-
in problem solving, using their capacity for tive people are willing to invest energy to
awareness to tune in to their feelings as a source change things in order to achieve their rights.
of data about necessary changes. They know They recognize that making assertive changes

Vol. 20. No.1, January 1990 43

ACEY CHOY

can cause distress to people whose plans one, outlining reasons (Clarke, 1982;
depended on the status quo. They do not relish Nordeman, 1981).
this suffering by "twisting the knife, " nor do (3) Multiple Chairs ("Parts Party")-an
they Rescue the sufferer by giving in on some awareness exercise that prompts the person to
of their rights to "ease the blow." They see be aware of the contribution of each ego state
negotiation as part of the problem-solving pro- to the problem and its solution (Stuntz, 1973).
cess in maximizing the needs they can get met (4) Two-chair work which clarifies conflicted
in a particular situation. feelings and yields data pertinent to problem
Skill Needed. The skill needed at the asser- solving.
tive corner of the Winner's Triangle is asser- (5) Placing the Child ego state on one's knee
tion skill. and interviewing her or him about what the
Child wants in this situation and what the Child
Problem-Solving Skills for the fears (James, 1974).
Vulnerable Person (6) Decontamination and Parent shrinkers to
Any technique that vulnerable people can use facilitate clear Adult thinking (Mart, Nichols,
to get themselves thinking about options and & Cantrell, 1975).
consequences is valuable. Among the follow- (7) Game plan to illustrate how one gets
ing collection of ideas some can be self-help oneself a bad feeling and to promote thinking
initiatives, others are therapeutic techniques of options to circumvent the payoff (James,
suitable for groups and individual work where 1973; Karpman, 1971).
there is a therapy contract, and still others are (8) Redecision work to decommission
simply nonrescuing invitations to problem solve limiting early decisions which hinder the use
which can be offered within or outside of of available options (Goulding & Goulding,
therapy by caring therapists, friends, and 1979).
family. Nonrescuing invitations to think and solve the
Self-Help Initiatives: problem suitable in nontherapy situations:
(I) Formal problem-solving formulae. Gain- What have you tried so far? How did that
ing mastery of formal problem-solving for- work? What do you think went wrong? (right?)
mulae outlined in professions such as manage- What will you do next? What do you predict
ment and nursing (e.g., assess, plan, imple- as possible outcomes? How will you take care
ment, evaluate). of yourself around any negative consequences?
(2) Brainstorming-uncensored pooling of
Child and Adult thoughts, ideas, and options Listening Skills for the Caring Person
followed by Adult evaluation and selection of It is important to differentiate between car-
workable options. Brainstorming can be done ing with a therapy contract, in which one is ex-
solitaire, but it is more fun in a group. pected to use caring, nonrescuing, effective,
(3) Consulting feelings. Uncomfortable feel- depth techniques for which one is being paid,
ings are a message to oneself about a need that and caring as a friend, colleague, or family
is not resolved. Asking oneself, "What do I feel member, in which case one does not have a
in this situation? What is this feeling telling mandate to do therapy and one is not paid
me?" (Steiner & Cassidy, 1969). Generally, in
(4) Data-collecting assignments. Deliberately friendship if one puts out in time of need, a car-
setting out to find information pertaining to the ing friend will reciprocate caring and support.
problem through reading, enrolling in courses, If this does not happen, then one "carer" is
etc. doing more than his or her share, and at an
Therapeutic techniques to facilitate problem ulterior level the relationship is based on a
solving: "rescue" contract.
(1) Guided fantasy about what one needs, what Listening skills as taught by the effectiveness
would meet this need, and how to achieve it. training movement and outlined in P.E. T. (Gor-
(2) Suggestion Circle-subject outlines prob- don, 1975) offer a good base for avoiding res-
lem and requests one option from each group cuing. Such approaches emphasize tuning in
member, thanking each for his or her contribu- empathically to the vulnerable person and
tion. At the end of the rounds the subject selects reflecting back the essence of what is said and

44 Transactional Analysis Journal

 THE WINNER'S TRIANGLE

the underlying emotional content that the care facilities that might be useful."
listener detects. Interpretation and evaluation
are avoided. Listening is frequently the only Assertiveness Skills for the Assertive Person
caring intervention required and is very effec- Assertiveness is about getting one's needs
tive as long as the listener is trustworthy (i.e., met without punishing. This requires (a) ask-
the vulnerable person's disclosures are treated ing for what you want, (b) saying "no" to what
with respect) and sincere (i.e., the listener is you do not want, (c) giving feedback about
genuine and self-disclosing about how he or she behavior that is causing a problem and explain-
is affected by the speaker's statements). Such ing how it is a problem (which requires self-
listening is a duplex transaction involving the disclosure and stating clearly what you want the
listener's Nurturing Parent and Adult and the person to do differently instead of expecting
speaker's Child and Adult. him or her to read your mind), (d) negotiating
One consequence of listening is that speakers a workable plan with the other person, and (e)
experience their feelings as honored, not dis- if the other party is not willing to make
counted. This allows the speaker's Child ego changes, using problem-solving skills to devise
state to let go of its desperation. The speaker a method of getting your needs met even though
does not have to escalate feeling or agitation the other person stays exactly the same.
in order to have the problem acknowledged and A wealth of how-tos is available in the asser-
is thus more likely to access Adult. If the car- tiveness and effectiveness training literature. In
ing person has established clear contact with addition, TA can offer cognitive input in terms
the vulnerable person's Adult judgment, ad- of examining actual transactions, as in the
juncts to listening can be incorporated, such as: James game plan (James, 1973). TA therapy
(1) Invitations to problem solving (see pre- can further facilitate the assertiveness process
vious section). by clearing away impasses that limit assertive
(2) Offers of specific practical aid as long as options. This would include, for instance,
the caring person is not doing something he or enabling someone to give up a Be Pleasing
she does not want to do. For example, "I driver or to redecide about Don't Be Impor-
understand that you dread going home to an tant and other injunctions. At the same time,
empty house. I'm willing to offer you my spare the client receives support in owning the three
bedroom if you would like to stay with me un- Ps of permission, protection, and potency,
til the end of the weekend." (Crossman, 1966; Steiner, 1974) as he or she
(3) Feedback in accordance with the confron- discovers that new behaviors are safe and OK.
tation rules and precautions laid down by Weiss A climate of stroking success consolidates the
(1977) if you think that a person you care about new assertive behavior.
is discounting at a level that is self-destructive.
This caring intervention is also a rescue and Acey Choy, M.Ed., PTSTA, works pan-time
may get the caring person persecuted if Weiss's as CSIRO Personal Counselor, CSIRO Sydney,
precautions are not followed. Weiss advocates Australia, and also has a pan-time private
putting more energy into confronting another's practice. Please send reprint requests to Acey
problem than the other is putting into solving Choy, 15 Woodvale Close, St. Ives, N.S. W.
it when (a) there is sufficient risk to someone 2075, Australia.
to warrant such a step; (b) there is sufficient REFERENCES
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Vol. 20, No.1, January 1990 45

ACEY CHOY

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