kultura in motion
Games people play
Pros & Cons of Behaving
Irina Lindqvist koncept och fotografi
Eva Lindqvist text
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 Lindqvist