Mediator and conflict specialist Jane Gunn explains how to recognise the phenomenon and how to escape it
If you often find yourself walking on eggshells with a colleague, want to rescue a coworker who is struggling, or feel you need to give guidance to others who then don’t take your advice, you may be unknowingly trapped in a dysfunctional and damaging dynamic known as Karpman’s Drama Triangle.
For example, in the UK, the CIPD’s Good Work Index 2024 shows that eight million UK employees, which is one in four, experienced workplace conflict in the previous year. This drama in the workplace disrupts relationships, productivity, performance, engagement, collaboration, and morale, and undermines leadership.
Recognising the Drama Triangle at Work
n the workplace, the drama triangle provides a set of behavioural frameworks that people instinctively resort to in times of crisis. The Drama Triangle comprises three psychologically unhealthy roles: the Victim, the Persecutor, and the Rescuer, and their relationship involves a routinely used yet ineffective response to conflict and crisis. The Victim constantly seeks help and approval, the Persecutor is perceived as the pot stirrer, and the Rescuer wants to be seen as virtuous but gets overly involved. A lot of effort goes into establishing or trying to escape these roles. A healthier resolution is to move away from personal validation and the drama, towards solutions.
The Victim
The Victim employee feels overwhelmed, powerless, and unsupported, and can employ an unhealthy mindset of “Why is this happening to me?” They passively rely on others to fix their problems rather than using their initiative and taking ownership. This erodes the Victim’s self-confidence and problem-solving skills, as they never feel they have the answers or resources. The Victim may use early escalation to senior management or HR, making complaints or grievances, or going off sick, thereby possibly also sabotaging their own progress at work, as well as other relationships, projects, or processes.
It is important to remember that in the Drama Triangle framework, the Victim role reflects a psychological mindset – not necessarily someone’s real-life circumstances. Escalating issues to HR or senior management, raising grievances, or taking time off can stem from genuine stress. It is when these patterns persist and the underlying dynamics are not addressed that they begin to impact relationships, workflows, and wider team morale.
The Rescuer
The Rescuer repeatedly intervenes to de-escalate conflicts without being asked to because they feel it is the right thing to do. While driven by good intentions, they often take over tasks completely rather than empowering the Victim to find their own solutions, creating dependency and undermining the Victim’s professional growth. This often results in the Rescuer colleague prioritising others’ needs over their own, potentially damaging their career, prolonging the drama, and reinforcing the Victim’s sense of helplessness.
The Persecutor
The Persecutor(s) may be unaware of their role in the triangle, or they may not mean to create drama but inadvertently contribute to it, partly due to their style and personality. People with low emotional intelligence don’t necessarily recognise what they are doing and the effect they have on others. Persecutors are likely to be demanding and have a desire for control. They often blame others without offering guidance or constructive criticism and have a mentality which just wants things done.
We can also move between the roles. For example, in attempting to reclaim their voice, the colleague in the Victim role may unintentionally adopt an aggressive or defensive tone, slipping into the ‘Persecutor’ role instead.
Why This Matters in the Workplace
Drama in the workplace can be caused by just about anything, from personality clashes and miscommunication to different points of view, backgrounds, narratives, and perspectives. The Drama Triangle can also go undetected, especially when it becomes embedded in poor work culture.
As we become more polarised, conflict escalates more rapidly, and we become both adversarial and aggressive, unable to explore and seek to understand alternative narratives. Finding ways to de-escalate is increasingly likely to be paramount for organisations going forward.
How to Break the Drama Triangle at Work
1. Be more self-aware and recognise the roles we all play
Gain awareness that you are involved in drama and gain understanding of your pattern of reactivity, defensiveness, and victimhood. Determine your position in the triangle and notice whether you feel trapped. Show curiosity and actively decide to free yourself from these invisible but limiting roles. To step away, develop your assertiveness, compassion, empathy, and, most importantly, self-awareness.
2. Step into the Triangle’s centre and recognise the elements of all three roles
Pause and reflect before reacting to conflict. Then move outside it using your new self-awareness. Ask yourself: Am I expecting others to fix my problems without explicitly asking them? Am I blaming colleagues when we have different objectives? Noticing your patterns is key to adapting them. Identify the real issues.
3. Embrace the Empowerment Dynamic
Developed by David Emerald Womeldorff, the Empowerment Triangle offers an alternative to the dysfunctional roles of the Drama Triangle.
The roles change from:
Victims to Creators
Rescuers to Coaches and Leaders
Persecutors to Challengers
who work together to move from problems to find good outcomes and build trust.
Being a Creator means taking ownership of problems and proactively seeking solutions rather than waiting for someone else to fix them. They set boundaries and remain focused on their core responsibilities, trusting their judgement in isolation from the ‘Rescuer’.
The Coach encourages others to explore solutions for themselves while being compassionate and asking guiding questions, offering resources, or simply holding space for a colleague to resolve their issues. They can also say no when appropriate.
Challengers can continue to maintain high standards but change their communication style to ask questions, offer constructive rather than harmful feedback, and encourage others to think differently. This approach motivates and uplifts, giving others a chance to reflect and grow.
4. Take a critical step back and recognise your response to conflict
Consider the alternatives available to shift the dynamic from drama and excuses to solutions. Think differently and deeply to challenge accepted narratives.
5. Stay in adult mode
Recognise your responsibility and accountability and what goes with your role, and communicate effectively. We are often drawn to convenience and encouraged to take the easy way out these days. Recognise responsibility and where to draw the line in supporting people.
6. Use calm, non-blaming language
Focus on empathy, clarity, and understanding to harmoniously shift conversations away from blame and towards practical solutions.
7. Review the options for solutions
Understand the expectations and experience of everyone involved. Do you need to gather more information? What do you need to do to look after yourself whilst you are in the midst of the drama? Sometimes people become very entrenched in their roles and resist moving beyond the drama triangle, especially if their roles have not been self-identified. Ask someone to help you with this, such as a coach.
A Note for Leaders
If you notice a ‘drama’ playing out in your team, the first thing is not to join in. Aim to remain independent and in a calm state. See who else is being dragged into the drama triangle. Ensure you have a broad perspective on the issue. Encourage them not to escalate but to find their own solutions with support and to be self-determining.
Have a resolutionary framework or processes in place that empower colleagues to explore issues early before they get stuck in specific roles and conflict.
And finally, build a healthy culture of good communication, open dialogue, and deep listening. A victim mentality, for example, can get embedded into a culture very quickly. Ultimately, tension is defused by creating psychological safety within the workplace, where people feel supported rather than attacked.
