Article Transactional Analysis Journal 2014, Vol. 4(1) 68-79 A Transactional Analytic © international Transactonal Analysis Association, 2014 View of War and Peace tnepub comfouraliPerisons.av Box Tart77 03621597 4831722 sasgepub.com SAGE Leonard P. Campos Abstract Since Eric Berne did not provide an in-depth objective analysis of war asa transactional game, the author takes on the daunting task of confronting this horseman of the apocalypse. He focuses on intergroup con- flicts, which can escalate into violence that results in mortal combat. The structural and transactional bases of violent conflict are examined to show how contaminated thinking from polarized political and religious ideologies and feelings lead to such conflict. The example of two countries in conflict is used to illustrate crossed and ulterior transactions that can interfere with peace efforts. Using Berne’s (1972) Formula G, the author introduces an example ofa game that he calls “Tyrants and Terrorists” to demon- strate how a game of war can start. For wars in general, he uses Berne’s original analysis of life games. The goal of this article isto stimulate dialogue on how transactional analysts, working together with the international community, can contribute their expertise to preventing war. Keywords violent conflict, peace negotiation, crossed and ulterior social transactions, “War” as a transactional game, polarized thinking, contaminated thinking, despair, game of “Tyrants and Terrorists,” nonviolent communication Confronting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Eric Berne (1972) thought that transactional analysis could offer “answers to the questions posed by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: war or peace, famine or plenty, pestilence or health, death or life” (p. 3). In this article, I address the questions raised by the first two horsemen: one carrying a bow and arrow, wearing a crown, riding on a white horse representing military conquest or right- cousness, and the other carrying a great sword, riding on a red horse representing war as described in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament (Bates, 1952, pp. 1206-1207). The other horsemen often represent the devastating aftermath of conquest and war. Transactional game and script analysts are vitally interested in such apocalyptic visions because they are not only projections of our catastrophic fears but also reflect in metaphoric form issues raised by the instigation of war games that may further harmartic scripting for “inevitable” nuclear wars among nations that could eventually make our species extinct on the planet. In this article, however, I limit the scope of my discussion to the question of war as a game. Corresponding Author: Leonard P. Campos, 1606 Oakview Dr., Roseville, CA 95661, USA Email: lampos@ulink.netCampos 69 Is War a Transactional Game? Berne (1963) originally discussed wars in terms of their disruptive effects on the internal and extemal boundaries of group and organizational structure, dynamics, and process. It was not until he published his original model of games people play (Berne, 1964) that he referred to war as a game. Without doing an in-depth transactional analysis of it, he mentioned in passing that the game of “War” is the “grimmest” game of all (p. 50). The purpose of this article is to initiate a preliminary and objective inquiry into whether or not a particular war can be considered a transactional game. To answer this question, I first look at the kinds of polarized beliefs and feelings that may set the stage for breakdowns in communication that can lead to violent conflicts. Because the term game is used loosely by the public to refer to forms of play and sports contests, there may be some confusion over what constitutes a game of “War.” To further this confusion, killing can become a sport, as in the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome or as described in the recent best seller The Hunger Games (Collins, 2008). A war, whether local, regional, or global, declared or undeclared, is usually defined as any violent conflict between individuals and groups or nations that results in mortal combat. Of course, all wars are not the same, and there are many types: lethal family feuds (in the United States, for example, the Hatfields versus the McCoys), gang wars, civil wars, religious wars (with their “armies of God/Allah”), military wars, genocide, and other forms of lethal conflict. With so many kinds of war, my effort here is to identify lethal conflicts that meet the definition of a transactional game. This must be distinguished from the what-if scenar- ios of simulated war games by the military in preparation for defense. These are not transactional games. Also, complicating my objective is the way the term war is used metaphorically in our cul= ture, an idea I will return to later, A more sensitive issue in calling a particular war a game is the risk of offending people who will perceive this as a discount of so-called honorable conflicts. As a U.S. Army veteran, I have spoken with other veterans and am well aware of how emotionally unacceptable such a concept may be. To the wounded, maimed, crippled, brain-damaged, traumatized, or depressed soldiers returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, war is probably not subjectively experienced as a game. Some might even consider this idea heartless, believing that it dishonors the memory of those heroes who sacrificed their lives for their country while struggling valiantly against our enemies. I under- stand how they and active-duty troops must believe that their own personal involvement in these ‘wars was, and is, a purposeful and meaningful duty on behalf of their country. I acknowledge that in certain morally acceptable wars, honorable objectives are or were involved, such as world peace in World War Il. In that kind of war, I believe that those who were hurt or died for freedom from tyranny deserve to be honored for their sacrifices. War and Peace in Metaphor Preoccupation with the ugly reality of violent conflicts can take metaphoric form in any language. These projections will show up in negative metaphors of war, battles, and killing. Many people are captivated by watching a fictional war so long as no one is really hurt or killed. Children and teens love to play video games of war. The drama of fictional war stories (based on fact or not) have thrilled generations, especially when they include a love story. An example of this is the popular World War I silent film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Brownlow & Gill, 1921), which was based on the novel by Ibaiiez (1918). The public is fascinated by today’s end-of-the-world fantasies, such as those depicted in some American films. Most people (and many researchers) are unaware that our projections of violence in novels, movies, and videos are actually defensive projections of our disowned profound fears of being victims of violence, of being hurt or attacked.70 Transactional Analysis Journal 44(1) ‘That war is a popular metaphor permeating the culture in the United States can be noted in its war on drugs, war on crime, war on poverty, war on cancer, partisan warfare, war (ot battle) between the sexes, war of nerves, war of words, and a currently popular one, class warfare (which reflects concern over the growing economic gap between the rich and the poor). Children and adults love to play tug of war. And in psychological warfare, we find the negative use of psychology on people, as in the use of malicious propaganda. Killing as metaphor can be noted in sayings such as, “He made a killing in the stock market” and “It kills me the way he talks.” I will show how these neg- ative metaphors spring from polarizing beliefs that define differences in relationships as opposi- tional or irreconcilable. Such definitions often reflect judgments that lead to exclusion and inequity in social relationships (Lederach, 2003; Xiaomao, 2005). Since peace is the antithesis of conflict, people mostly experience it from deep positive feelings, such as when they speak of peace of mind and keeping the peace. It is projected onto tranquil scenes of nature, such as the stillness of the woods, the ebb and flow of waves on a calm day, and the silent fall of snowflakes on a winter's night. It is perceived in the sleeping infant, children and adults at play, and in the affectionate embrace of lovers. It is felt in the soothing cadence of song and the rhythm of slow dancing, as in the gracefulness of a waltz. Harmony in music and the balance of color and form in beautiful works of art also give many a sense of peace. Socially, when people are in equitable relationships and living a nonviolent way of life, they often feel at peace Inevitability of Conflicts Before I turn to an analysis of war games, it is important to acknowledge that conflict is an inevitable part of being human, what with our differences in beliefs, feelings, and needs. There are often polit- ical, religious, ethnic, and national differences that divide people but do not necessarily involve them in violent conflicts—unless individuals are radicalized by extremism. On a continuum, conflicts range in intensity from simple disagreements, to arguments, up to fights or battles of high intensity that in the extreme can escalate to the point of war. When common conflicts between individuals and the partners in couples, among individuals in groups, and within organizations interfere with peace- ful relationships, many of us have helped to resolve them before these conflicts escalate out of con- trol. When therapists interrupt conflict-promoting games in relationships, clients usually move on to more satisfying lives. This does not mean they do not despair over external realities they cannot control. Lucio (2013) described how often people have to go their separate ways because of irreconcilable differences between them. No matter how much we use our leadership to bring conflicting parties together, we often end up despairing over the profound differences in purpose, goals, values, and mind- sets that lead them to break up. We then hope they can live peacefully apart from each other Berne (1966) defined despair as a failure of communication between our adult self and the out- side world we cannot control or think we cannot change (p. 311). And as we turn our attention to the social environment outside our control, many of us at a collective level probably share a profound sense of despair over the state of our planet with its many international conflicts and wars—despite our best efforts to bring about peace. All over the globe there are hundreds of thousands of individ- uals, professionals, and organizations devoted to peacemaking efforts. Many of us experience des- pair as a form of social pain over how, despite all these efforts to achieve peace, wars continue to break out all over the planet. Structural Basis of Fatal Conflicts I will now turn to the structural basis of many lethal conflicts. In decontamination work with indi- viduals, transactional analysts are familiar with how contamination of the rational Adult part by