Beyond Drama: Victims, Villains, and Heroes
Gary Harper wrote a profound article called "Conflict Drama: Victim, Villain or Hero?" A Drama Triangle As in fairy tales or movies, we often tell our own story with three types of characters: victim (damsel in distress or innocent youth); villain (witch, giant, or dragon); and hero (prince or princess). We tend to cast ourselves in the role of innocent victim or noble hero and define ourselves in opposition to a villain. Casting ourselves in these roles may, however, hinder getting what we really want. Innocent victim "Because conflict involves an attack or threat to us or our needs, we feel victimized. With the victim role comes a belief in our innocence as well as a feeling of powerlessness. . . . Although some people suffer in silence, we often express our frustration by complaining about the situation and blaming the person we see as responsible for our plight (the villain)." Noble hero "Though we initially experience conflict from vict...