Drama Triangle Worksheet Overview
The drama triangle is a map of three roles people slip into during conflict: the Persecutor, the Rescuer, and the Victim. Psychiatrist Stephen Karpman, M.D., described it in 1968. It can help anyone who keeps ending up in the same circular arguments with a partner, a relative, or a coworker.
This worksheet explains each role and how people can switch from one to another. You will map a recent conflict, learn the healthier version of each role from Acey Choy's winner's triangle, and write what you could say next time.
In this worksheet, we’ll:
- Explain the Persecutor, Rescuer, and Victim roles and how people switch between them
- Walk you through spotting the roles in a recent conflict
- Introduce the winner's triangle, a healthier version of each role
- Provide space to plan what you could say instead
- Give you reflection prompts about the role you take most often
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Karpman, S. B. (1968). Fairy tales and script drama analysis. Transactional Analysis Bulletin, 7(26), 39-43.
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Choy, A. (1990). The winner's triangle. Transactional Analysis Journal, 20(1), 40-46.
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