Three Vital Questions You Can Use to Empower Your Clients, Peers, and Yourself to Stop Living in the Dreaded Drama Triangle

Christy Vincent, Ph. D.

We have all likely utilized the drama triangle of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer as a model when helping our clients or trainees to avoid destructive interpersonal interactions. Stephen Karpman popularized the social model in the 1970’s when he studied under Eric Berne. The model, often called the Dreaded Drama Triangle (DDT), can help us understand the negative roles that our clients engage in as they interact with others. The downside of the model is that it lacks guidance on how to help our clients move away from the DDT other than saying, “Stop being a Victim.” As you may know, that phrase usually reinforces Victim mentality and puts you in the role of a Persecutor. We can all use some practical tips and some new language to help our clients, peers, and ourselves engage in empowered thinking and behaving rather than in dramatic, repetitive, destructive patterns. In this workshop, drawing on the work of David Emerald and Donna Zajonc, two OD professionals, we will learn about three vital questions you can ask to eliminate the negative roles of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer and to take on different, more empowered roles such as the Creator, Challenger, and Coach.

After participating in this workshop, participants will be able to: 

• Discuss the thinking and behaving patterns of people engaging in the roles of the Dreaded Drama Triangle—Victim, Persecutor and Rescuer. 
• Explain how these DDT roles contribute to negative interpersonal interactions and to repetitive patterns of relating. 
• List alternate, more empowering roles people can take in their interactions—the Creator, Challenger and Coach. 
• Contrast and compare the negative roles and the empowered roles. 
• State the three vital questions that they can ask others to encourage them to think about the outcomes they want, their way of relating to others, and the actions they will take to reach their desired outcomes.     

Dr. Christy Vincent is a Professor in the Mass Communication Department at the University of Central Oklahoma where she teaches organizational and strategic communication courses. Her research interests include conflict management, mediation, change management, executive coaching, and training and development. Her interest in conflict management led her to the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law where she earned a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). She has received the Vanderford Engagement Award, College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Teaching Award, Vanderford Distinguished Teaching Award and the prestigious Neely Award for Teaching Excellence at UCO.
Christy is a communication specialist. Using her years of experience in organizational effectiveness and conflict management, she coaches professionals to increase their leadership effectiveness. Christy helps her clients improve in essential behaviors such as managing time, setting priorities, uncovering values, working through conflict, coping with stress, and managing multiple roles. As an organizational effectiveness consultant, Dr. Vincent helps groups and organizations with strategic planning, conflict management, communication needs assessment, problem-solving and leadership development. She regularly conducts training courses for local corporations including Chesapeake Energy, The City of Oklahoma City, Allegiance Credit Union, and Metro Technology Centers. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Arts degree (M.A.) from the University of Houston, both in communication, and a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in mass communication from Oklahoma Christian University.
 

      July 19, 2019  

11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

OSU Tulsa Campus, 700 N Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK 74106 

B.S. Roberts Room

The discounted, pre-registrations for the program with the meal must be made by Tuesday, July 17th.

 To begin your registration, click on the orange "Register" button in the lower left beneath the registration options.