Releasing Tensions and Building Healthy Relationships: A Case Study and Transformation Strategies

Beware of “monkeys”! An experienced manager warned the young disciple like the Jedi with the young padawan.

Every employee who walks into your office brings with him a herd of “monkeys” — problems big and small that he wants to discuss with you. In fact, he wants only one thing — to leave these “monkeys” on your shoulders, so that you can struggle with him. WATCH OUT! Make sure that everyone who enters their office leaves with their “monkeys”.

“Monkeys” are the manifestation of one corner of the dramatic triangle, known as the Karpman triangle. This is a classic pattern of interaction in psychological games that have been defined in Transactional Analysis.

Basically, they manifest in the form of a psychological “game”, often unconscious and manipulative. It appears most of the time to fulfill different needs, most often of a dysfunctional nature.

In this case, it is a demand game. At its base, it is that inconstant and unverbalized belief that “it belongs to me” and at the same time it is a game of disregarding the one with whom one interacts.