Pros & Cons of Behaving

 

Irina Lindqvist koncept och fotografi

​

Games people play.

​

Six circles connected by lines in various sequences was the result of Eric Berne’s findings presented to the world in 1964. This was an introduction to his book Games People Play, where he shared a detailed guide to human behaviour by looking at interactions that we have with one another called transactions. These transactions follow distinctive patterns or games and are repeated over and over again in all parts of our everyday lives, from business, marital, to sexual games. The circles represent three behavioural states that we all fluctuate between - the parent, child, and adult – and those of the person we interact with. The lines outline the transaction that is taking place between two individuals and may change depending on the situation.

 

Common games that you might immediately relate to (with their formal abbreviations) are:

                                           

Try and get Away with it

TAGAWI

If it wasn’t for you…

IWFY

You got me into this

UGMIT

Now I’ve got you, you son of a bitch

NIGYSOB

See what you made me do

SWYMD

Why does it always happen to me?

WAHM

Ain’t it awful?

AIA

Why don’t you – yes but

YDYB

 

So…

People play games.

What does this say about us?

We comply with everyday game rules.

We agree for psychological theatricals to take control over our very existence on often an unconscious level.

We fall into time-consuming mind battles where we make it easy for others to take advantage of us.

We need to act our way out to change these rules, established by others or us.

“Life is really very simple. But if people have to face that fact they get very upset. So they invent religions and pastimes and games. These are the same people who then lament how awful it is that life is complicated. But all complications involve decisions, and a person must assess the probabilities and possibilities, make the best decision and then go down the street whistling.” Eric Berne, 1964.

 

The above observations are being revisited in the form of photography, dance, and music.

text Eva Lind