What Is the Karpman Drama Triangle and Who Is Batman—Rescuer or Victim?
In 1968, psychologist and medical doctor Stephen Karpman described a model of human relationships that revolutionized psychology, psychotherapy, and media culture—a revolution that still resonates today. This model is called the “Drama Triangle,” also known as the “Karpman Triangle,” and it’s referenced whenever toxic relationships are discussed.
The Points and Sides of the Triangle
The Karpman Triangle is a role-playing model involving three characters: the Rescuer, the Persecutor, and the Victim. Each role has its own script and set of characteristics, and together, all three participants form a single destructive mechanism where their childhood traumas, anxieties, and psychological patterns mesh like gears. The gears turn, the music plays, and each participant performs their role.
Who Plays Which Role?
- Victim
The person who chooses the role of Victim is a professional at suffering and shifting responsibility. Their life is hard and unremarkable, and like in the ABBA song, they wait for someone to come along, take the poor sufferer under their wing, shoulder their problems on one side and their responsibilities on the other, and fly off together into a brighter future. Or maybe not—the main thing is that the Victim is relieved of responsibility and doesn’t have to make decisions or change anything themselves. - Persecutor
This person enters the game to prove to themselves (and the world) that “good must be strong.” The Persecutor can only do good and bring joy through brute force, verbal abuse, and under the pressure of external circumstances that force them to act harshly. From their perspective, the world is unfair, and only the Persecutor knows what’s right and how things should be. They believe the cruel world made them a villain, but deep down, their actions are rooted in good intentions (at which point they themselves take on the Victim role). The Persecutor may see themselves as a mentor or a defender of justice, and throughout the game, they will point out the Victim’s helplessness and weakness. - Rescuer
The person in this role pretends to be an altruist. They offer help without the slightest idea of what actually needs to be done. The Rescuer gets involved in the conflict between the Victim and the Persecutor to feel important, to receive gratitude from the Victim, or to make the Victim dependent on them. This is the “good guy” who joins the game to show everyone how great they are and to make others feel indebted. If their help doesn’t work out, they comfort themselves by thinking they’re just not appreciated.
Karpman’s colleague, Claude Steiner, described these characters as follows:
“…The Victim is not as helpless as they feel. The Rescuer doesn’t help as much as they think, and the Persecutor doesn’t have as much reason for dissatisfaction and accusations as they claim.”
The main rule of the game is: everyone is out for themselves. Each participant plays their part by their own rules, and the main goal is to prevent the others from winning. What happens if someone does win?
Breaking the Cycle or Playing Musical Chairs?
When one person leaves the game, the mechanism falls apart. According to Karpman, the Drama Triangle helps participants avoid closeness and intimacy—it postpones solving important issues, like resolving the Victim’s problems or allowing the Rescuer to find fulfillment elsewhere. All three end up alone with their problems, and to avoid drowning in them, they restart the game. The cast may change, but the roles remain the same.
Before the “demons” tear their hosts apart, the players, like in a game of musical chairs, need to take their places again. For example, if the Rescuer “wins” and the Victim is freed from the Persecutor’s torment, the Victim may become the aggressor and lash out at their savior, shouting, “I didn’t ask you to save me like that—you ruined everything!”
Many people who want to avoid responsibility love this “Triangle” game, but screenwriters love it even more. The Karpman Triangle has become the perfect template for building conflicts and plot twists in movies, comics, and TV shows. For example, the relationship between Batman and the Joker follows this model. They take turns playing Victim and Persecutor, Persecutor and Rescuer, depending on who the third participant in their game is. You can find a similar model in the animated film Tangled and in every Marvel Studios movie.
In his book, Karpman describes not only the games of friends and enemies, lovers and spouses, but also dysfunctional family stories, office politics, “con artist games,” and the dynamics of alcoholism. All these scenarios, with real-life examples, help readers recognize when they’re being drawn into such a game.
How to Get Out of the Game
Karpman described three levels of these games:
- First-degree games: Socially acceptable, people talk about and share them. These might include complicated work relationships, bosses abusing their power, or landlords crossing boundaries.
- Second-degree games: Have more serious consequences. It’s considered inappropriate to talk about these. This category includes manipulations by romantic partners or violations of personal boundaries by relatives or friends.
- Third-degree games: The most dangerous and destructive, ending in hospitals, police stations, or court. Participants are truly at risk. These include “games” involving con artists, alcoholics, and other people with addictions, as well as aggressive Persecutors, such as in cases of domestic violence.
The first step to breaking free from any level of the game is to recognize it and identify your role. At this stage, it’s important to develop active listening skills to spot invitations to play from others and to decline them in time.
Second, refuse to play games and instead offer honest, quality interaction. This means giving sincere feedback without any hidden selfish motives.
Third, take 0% responsibility for others and 100% for yourself. You can’t shift responsibility for your emotions and decisions onto others, just as those around you can’t delegate their decisions and feelings to you. You’re allowed to experience the full range of emotions without feeling guilty. As long as you experience your emotions within your own personal boundaries, no one can drag you into the game.