The Drama Triangle: How to use it in Affiliate Marketing

The Drama Triangle arose from the therapeutic method of Transactional Analysis (TA) the where the client’s social interactions are analyzed by the therapist. From a social perspective it was thought that in any interaction the client inhabits either a child-like parent-like or an adult persona.

Transactional Analysis

TA grew out of the work of Eric Berne who proposed that the client through childhood and adolescence develops scripts and life-plans that inform their relationships with others. These are expressed through their ego states and as mentioned before their social transactions.

These transactions became pattern-like and he referred to them as games. Each side of the social transaction would be seeking to win. Hence, we now have the whole win-win and win-lose scenarios. How each side conducted themselves in these interactions is by presenting as Child, Parent, or Adult.

Stephen Karpmann further added to these ideas with his development of the Drama Triangle. To him the three corners of the triangle represented the Persecutor, the Victim (not in the traditional sense but as in feeling like a victim) and the Rescuer.

How can this help us in the field of Affiliate Marketing?

The Drama Triangle’s Victim

One of the things an affiliate marketer looks at when he or she is deciding on a niche is, did they have a problem they had to solve? They can then find products they used in their solution and market them through the content they produce?

If an affiliate marketer has a problem, at some point they felt “Poor Me”, victimized by the difficulty they experienced. If you’ve ever had a challenge, a disease, or an obstacle, you want to find an answer to it and grow past it.

Even if as affiliate marketer you are focusing on your passions, you probably suffered through some setback that created an obstacle to your enjoyment of the pastime. Again something you needed to find an answer to find your way back to your happy place.

Some marketers have had health challenges they’ve had to find cures for, or ways to live with the challenges when it left them with a permanent disability. Those cures and the systems they developed to live comfortably with their disability become the products they used to combat their persecutor.

The Drama Triangle’s Persecutor

These problems, obstacles, set backs and challenges are our persecutors. It makes our job easier if the persecutors are things in the external world. A bit more difficult if they reside within us as procrastination, lack of motivation. When this happens, we can become our own worst enemies.

The times that “It’s all your fault” rings in your ears can be debilitating and sometimes send you into a bit of a downward spiral. Luckily each day is a clean slate and the persecutors can be put behind us.

As we grow into our business more challenges will come up to persecute and victimize us. All these become opportunities to further our story and create more traction for the market.

Any means we use to overcome our persecutors can potentially become a product to market through an affiliate system.

The Drama Triangle’s Rescuer

What we use to conquer our persecutors, whether they lie within or are external manifestations, becomes our rescuer. They can see we’re a victim being set upon by our persecutor and come to save us.

Negative self talk is something I’ve come up against as I been navigating the field of affiliate marketing. It was only this morning that I was doing it again. Wondering whether what I was writing for this post was any good or not.

This is a perfect example of the Drama Triangle at work. I’m bullying myself about my credentials to put this information out. I become a victim to my own sense of self-worth. Then in turn I notice what I’m doing to my esteem and have to pull myself up, give myself a swift kick in the behind and jump right in and get on with it.

No I wasn’t blocked. Yes I’m actually OK. And yes I have something to say here that may be of use to an audience who are going through a similar situation. By recognizing when I’m getting into that funk and revving myself up with a little positive vibe and self talk I come back to the good space where I’m open and listening to the possibilities coming through.

I then take some action. Sitting down at the computer and tapping out a few good words is good to keep the motivation flowing. You realize – “YOU CAN DO THIS”

Resolution

We’re almost continually going through this process of persecutor, victim, rescuer especially when the percentage of our negative self talk is actually higher than our positive self talk. The cycle is always seeking resolution. We need to be vigilant, and switch to the positive when we feel the negative taking hold. And then to take a positive action to cement the change in our mindset.

When challenge is going on internally for us, yes, we can play all parts of the triangle. When it is going on in the external world, though we may be the victim and rescuer, the persecutor makes its presence felt. We may also experience the rescuer in our day to day reality.

I was ready to venture down the path of affiliate marketing and had tried a couple of opportunities that never developed traction for me. I can’t even remember how it happened but I was reading a blog or email and the site Wealthy Affiliate was mentioned.

I followed the clue and discovered one of the most valuable corners of the internet there. They have platforms for training, blogging, domains, websites, SEO, creating content, and comments. Everything you could need to begin your journey into affiliate marketing.

I wouldn’t say they came to my rescue, because once you begin you have to become your own rescuer by utilizing the wealth of material on their site. I found my rescue in them.

Aside from the rescuer both the victim and the persecutor have a negative connotation. In the next post I’ll flip the triangle on its head and we’ll look at “The Empowerment Dynamic” – challenger, creator and coach.

Blessings