Playing the victim card and victim game, and black rage

 How TA understands role- and script-switches in “games”

• In TA, a game is a repetitive, emotionally charged sequence of transactions that follows a predictable pattern and ends with a familiar “payoff” feeling for the players. Berne’s game formula is: Con + Gimmick = Response → Switch → Crossup → Payoff [1].
• The “Con” (come-on) invites the other person’s “Gimmick” (a hook that fits their susceptibilities). That elicits a Response. Then a Switch occurs—roles reverse or shift (for example, someone who looked like a helper becomes the blamer). The Crossup is the moment of recognition or jolt, followed by the Payoff—the emotion the script expects (for instance, justified outrage, hurt, or superiority) [2].
• Many social and interpersonal games map onto the Karpman Drama Triangle: Victim, Persecutor, Rescuer. In games, people often rotate through these roles; someone may start as a Rescuer and flip to Persecutor, or a self-presenting Victim may switch to Persecutor after a perceived slight. The switching of roles is the hallmark of the game’s mid-point “Switch” and sets up the final Payoff [3].
• The Payoff is usually a “racket feeling”—a familiar, scripted emotion that is substituted for authentic feeling (e.g., righteous anger instead of vulnerable sadness). After the game, people often experience “afterburn,” an extended emotional residue that reinforces their life script conclusions (“This always happens to me,” “People can’t be trusted,” etc.) [4].

A neutral, non-stigmatizing way to analyze public narratives

• Focus on roles, not identities. Describe the observable behaviors and transactions (what is said/done), not presumed traits of whole groups.
• Identify the sequence:
  1. Come-on: The opening bid that invites a particular response.
  2. Gimmick: The vulnerability or hook that gets triggered (e.g., the pull to help, the urge to prove someone wrong).
  3. Response: The expected reply that advances the script.
  4. Switch: The role flip (helper becomes blamer, complainant becomes accuser, etc.).
  5. Crossup and Payoff: The jolt and the familiar feeling (racket) that “proves” a scripted belief.
• Watch for role mobility. In contentious public debates, any party—an individual, a group, or an institution—can be cast or self-cast into Victim, Persecutor, or Rescuer and then switch midstream. The same actor may cycle through all three over time as the narrative unfolds [3].
• Look for script signals. People often telegraph scripts via posture, gestures, repeated phrases, “OK” words, sentence patterns, or predictable “favorite feelings.” These cues can be subtle and are best inferred from patterns, not single moments [5].
• Classic illustration: “Why Don’t You—Yes, But.” One person solicits help, rejects every suggestion, and ends with a payoff of justified helplessness while others end with frustration or superiority. Though interpersonal, it shows how roles and payoffs rotate and why the sequence is emotionally compelling [6].

Applying this to institutions without stereotyping

• You can map the triangle onto roles like “Citizen,” “Critic/Challenger,” and “Institution” (e.g., a government agency, media outlet, company) without assigning inherent motives to racial or demographic groups.
• Example sketch (neutral):
  • Come-on: A public claim of harm invites help or defense.
  • Gimmick: Others feel pulled to rescue (issue aid, defend) or to prosecute (demand accountability).
  • Response: One side takes a strong helping or accusing stance.
  • Switch: Helpers become perceived as controllers (now seen as Persecutors); accusers become perceived as victims of unfair backlash; original claimants may be cast as persecutors by opponents.
  • Payoff: Each side lands in a familiar feeling—vindication, outrage, or moral purity—that confirms prior beliefs.
• The point isn’t “who is right,” but how the sequence can lock people into rigid roles and scripted emotions, making genuine Adult-to-Adult problem-solving harder.

Guardrails for responsible TA use

• Do not attribute fixed roles to entire populations; analyze specific transactions, policies, messages, and responses.
• Distinguish scripts (learned, repetitive patterns) from identities. Scripts are changeable; identities deserve respect and dignity.
• Check facts. TA explains form and function of interactions, not their truth-value. Adult-mode verification matters.
• Prefer constructive exits: shift from the triangle to Adult-to-Adult contracting (shared definitions, goals, and responsibilities) to reduce switches and rackets [2].

Sources

1 Transactional Analysis Counseling in Action (Counseling in Action series) Fourth Edition by Ian Stewart (Author)

2 The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do, Revised and Updated Paperback – February 24, 2009 by Judith Rich Harris (Author)

3 Genogram with Transactional Analysis in Coaching: A Road Map for Counseling & Coaching - An intuitive visual approach to unlock your clients' self-awareness to achieve personal & professional growth Paperback – December 16, 2023 by Claudia Musicco (Author

4 Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis. Paperback – August 27, 1996 by Eric Berne (Author)

5 What Do You Say After You Say Hello Paperback – October 4, 2018 by Eric Berne (Author)

6 Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy: A Systematic Individual and Social Psychiatry Hardcover – September 10, 2021 by Eric Berne (Author)

In addition:

 Here is how a Black individual who encounters racism might play the victim card and game, and experience a chain of emotions. Here’s a neutral Transactional Analysis (TA) mapping that focuses on the interactional pattern, not identity. In TA, repeated, emotionally charged sequences are called “games,” which often follow the pattern Con + Gimmick = Response → Switch → Crossup → Payoff, and they frequently cycle people through Victim–Persecutor–Rescuer roles before delivering a familiar “payoff” feeling called a racket feeling [2][3].

A possible chain of emotions (mapped to the TA game sequence)

• Initial impact (Come-on): Shock/startle, hurt, fear, or indignation in response to a perceived racist slight or barrier. The event functions as the “come-on” that activates prior sensitivities and learned expectations (imprinting, reach-back) [2][4].
• Hook (Gimmick): Vigilance and anxiety rise as earlier experiences or cultural memories “hook” the person’s susceptibility—e.g., “This is dangerous/unfair; I could be harmed,” priming protective anger or hyper-alertness [2][4].
• Response: Turning to allies or institutions for validation/help can come with hope and cautious relief (“Maybe I’ll be heard”) mixed with worry about being dismissed or blamed. This is the overt move toward a potential Rescuer (friend, community, or government body) [3].
• Switch: If helpers respond in a controlling, minimizing, or performative way—or if critics attack—there’s often a flip from hope to disillusionment, from trust to resentment. Roles can invert: the perceived Rescuer may feel like a Persecutor; critics may portray the complainant as the Persecutor; the individual may feel shoved back into Victim. This “switch” sets up the next jolt [2][3].
• Crossup: The “this isn’t what I expected” moment—surprise, betrayal, humiliation, or fury—often arrives when outcomes contradict the person’s expectation of protection or fairness [2].
• Payoff (racket feeling): The sequence culminates in a familiar emotional end-state that confirms prior script conclusions—e.g., justified outrage, bitter helplessness, moral vindication, or cynical detachment. This is the game’s emotional payoff, which can feel simultaneously bad and “right on schedule” because it fits the script [2][3].
• Afterburn and reach-back: Residual tension, exhaustion, rumination, or renewed resolve can persist (afterburn). Old memories or themes may color current perception (reach-back), reinforcing beliefs like “I can’t count on them,” or “Only strong external protection keeps me safe” [4].

Why this can repeat

• Scripts and rackets: Early experiences and cultural narratives can coalesce into “scripts” with favored feeling-states (rackets). When a present-day trigger resembles an old pattern, the psyche may replay the sequence toward the same emotional payoff—angry righteousness, hurt resignation, or wary vigilance—because it “fits” the script, even if it doesn’t solve the problem [2][4].
• Role mobility: In contentious settings (media, community forums, bureaucracy), all parties may shift among Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer, sometimes within a single episode. The churn of role-switching keeps the game alive and blocks Adult-to-Adult resolution [3].
• Signals and cues: Posture, repeated phrases, “OK” words, tone, and predictable protest styles can signal scripts and precipitate counter-roles in others, creating a self-fulfilling sequence [5].

Two common branches

• Helplessness loop: Hurt → fear → hope (seek help) → dismissal → humiliation → bitter helplessness (payoff) → afterburn of numbness/cynicism [2][4].
• Combative loop: Hurt → anger → demand for redress → pushback/backlash → indignation → righteous outrage (payoff) → afterburn of exhausted vigilance [2][3].

Exiting the game (briefly)

• Shift to Adult mode: Clarify facts, aims, roles, and a concrete contract with helpers to reduce switches and surprises. Adult-to-Adult contracting limits the come-on and the gimmick, making a racket payoff less likely [2][3].
• Watch for afterburn: Pause and debrief before the residue hardens into the next script cycle; otherwise the reach-back primes the next trigger [4].

Sources

1 Transactional Analysis Counseling in Action (Counseling in Action series) Fourth Edition by Ian Stewart (Author)

2 Beyond Games and Scripts Hardcover – January 1, 1976 by Eric Berne (Author)

3 Scripts People Live: Transactional Analysis of Life Scripts Paperback – January 26, 1994 by Claude Steiner (Author)

4 Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis. Paperback – August 27, 1996 by Eric Berne (Author)

5 The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do, Revised and Updated Paperback – February 24, 2009 by Judith Rich Harris (Author)

6 Genogram with Transactional Analysis in Coaching: A Road Map for Counseling & Coaching - An intuitive visual approach to unlock your clients' self-awareness to achieve personal & professional growth Paperback – December 16, 2023 by Claudia Musicco (Author