Transactional

Analysis Journal
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Fairytale Scripts in TA Therapists the Powerful, Adapted Child of the Therapist

Natalie Haimowitz
Transactional Analysis Journal 1971 1: 23
DOI: 10.1177/036215377100100211
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HEDGES CAPERS AND GLEN HOLLAND

less in need of his "help," (Parent), he

complains that her improvement came
"too late" in their marriage. Actually,
Albert's Child was busily looking for
other not OK females and found one in
a young girl, Candy, who felt even less
OK than Betty had at the beginning of
their marriage. Betty understood what
was happening; she thought she could
save her marriage by discontinuing
therapy and going back to her not OK

position, but the cost was too high.

Candy next came into therapy and the
same scenario was repeated, with Albert
again on the search.
This situation illustrates how a pi rson
can cope with "Not OK" self evaluations
and their attendant unpleasant fee lings
by assuming a Parent position wth
others and "helping" them with the ir
not OK feelings. A successful outcome
automatically threatens the relationshp.

FAIRYTALE SCRIPTS IN TA THERAPISTS

The Powerful, Adapted Child of the Therapist
by
NATALIE HAIMOWITZ, Ph, D.

There was an old woman who lived

in a shoe.
She had so many children, she
knew just what to do.
She gave them some broth with
plenty of bread,
Spanked them all soundly,
and woke them up.
Who is the old lady who lived in a
shoe? She is a T.A. therapist.
In a neighboring Kingdom of Wu,
just over the mountain, was the Wizard
of Ooze. He was a very magic person,
and in his kingdom magic flourished.
As soon as people entered his kingdom,
they felt the power of his magic. Who
is the Wizard? He is a T.A. therapist.
All over the countryside are mountains
with therapists on the top-except for
those therapists who are on their way
up, and others who arc on their way
down.
This paper describes some ways the
Adapted Child of the therapist may
lead the patient in the therapeutic dialogue, how it looks as they go, and some

of the ways therapists invite patten s

to come along. Having worked as
co-therapist with "Pied Pipers," "Haggedy Anns," and "Little Tin Soldiers,"
each effective and competent in his or
her unique way, I have oome to regard
the Adapted Child as a very powel ful
force.
Like handwriting, each therapist has
his or her own particular treatnent
"style." Therapist A is "warm," a "Iiberal
stroker", therapist B is a more stacc ato
therapist, "Adult programed," inviting
patients into "head trips"; therapist ~
specializes in emotional explosions - if
you are a patient in his group, you ca
expect fireworks; therapist D eases patients away from certain kinds of feelirJJ
experiences and hurries the patie .it
quickly into action: "What are you
going to do about your sad feeling?" ,A
therapist who has a scared Child wi"
usually rescue the patient from gettii.g
in touch with the patient's scared feelings.) While each therapist with whom
I have ever discussed treatment "style"

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FAIRYTALE SCRIPTS IN TA THERAPISTS

has Adult "reasons" for these particular talk, shut up so the therapist can talk,
kinds of interventions, the choice is act out, get well (hopefully in some
probably functioning with a contami- particular way that affirms the theranated Adult.
pist's fantasies.
While in his or her own treatment,
Therapists who like to fight and win
often provoke patients into a fight and the therapist presumably gives up the
then "top" them. (I know a therapist idea of magic. Still, a Superman who
who specializes in "getting patients in becomes a therapist appears to retain
touch with their anger." He recently much of his old color and flavor. I have
landed in the hospital when he pro~ never seen an ex-Superman therapist bevoked a patient into hitting him with a come an ex-Little Tin Soldier therapist
chair.) While he admits to "guessing no matter how hard he works on his
wrong" on this particular occasion, he own hang-ups.
insists his basic method of "provoking"
Rumpelstiltskin therapists may have
is Adult programmed.
given up the magic idea that they can
Therapists who want love back down change feoes into gold, but they often
at cruoial moments to avoid confronta- remain attracted to the process of taking
tions which may anger the patient. Con- what others regard as worthless and
fronting patients would involve the transforming it into very valuable
therapists's removing his "Nice Guy" goodies. Most Rumpelstiltskin therasweatshirt. Some even offer reassur- pists I know continue for some time to
ances, nods of the head (marshmal- operate out of an anal, hold-out position. For example, they are more apt
lows), and smiles.
A therapist who was abandoned by than their colleagues to do treatment
his own parents when he was born now in an office with low overhead, on the
specializes in a heavy parenting method outskirts of town or in unpopular neighof treatment. His parental garb cloaks borhoods. They are generally stingy,
a controlling, bossy kid who bullies pa- more apt to wear used clothing (purtients and wins every encounter. Yet he chased in thrift shops) and furnish their
does this very effectively, and his pa- offices with second-hand furniture which
tients get cured. They are continuously they buy for a pittance. They are more
getting messages from his Adapted apt to treat patients from a cool, "holdChild about what is expected of them, out" position, are probably more sucbacked up with lots of reinforcement. cessful than other therapists with "caste
They get warm fuzzies when they com- off" patients (i.e., those who have "made
the rounds" to other therapists). They
ply and beating when they don't.
The fact that the therapist is pro- charge high fees.
Jack-and-the-Beanstalk the rap i s t s
ceeding with some sort of self-comforting device does not rule out the possi- ( mother's injunctions: Don't be pushy;
bility that the patient is getting cured don't grow up) play elaborate life
of something. I'm suggesting that since games of Stupid and Confused, getting
the therapeutic dialogue takes place be- Parents to kick them for stupidity and
tween the Adapted Child of both par- confusion. Their Child then NIGYSOBs
ticipants, therapists would do well to the Critical Parents and proves them
compute what they are expecting pa- wrong by coming through with sporadic,
tients to do for them; i.e., win, lose, sterling performances. Jack and the
fight, make love, get well, get sick, get Beanstalk therapists have likely moved
happy, explode, get guilty, get unguilty, from career to career in this fashion,
24

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NATALIE HAIMOWITZ

wandering in with almost no skill or

credentials, repetitively coming on stupid and inept, then after a few parental
kicks, "showing 'em," As T.A. therapists
they perform at first in a very inept fashion, getting kicks from co-therapists and
supervisors before a magical transition
to excellence. Even when "Jacks" become very experienced therapists, they
occasionally regress to "simpleton" and
hook co-therapists' Critical Parents. But
often, in the end, they "deliver the
goods" (the goose that laid the golden
egg).
Some therapists live out a Wizard of
Oz style in the office and out. They are
Guru-like, gimmicky types of therapists
with repertoires of ritualistic, magical
procedures which increase the drama of
the sessions. ("Picture your mother
standing there," said with a gesture not
unlike that used by the Pope in offering
benediction. ) Wizards may wear wayout clothing (Oriental, African costume
and office decor) and may play Ravi
Shankar "Music to Feel By." Wizard
therapists are apt to very successful in
keeping patients stuck to them. The patients, however, continue the hysterical
rackets and emotional explosions with
which they came. Wizards are apt to be
against "head stuff"; their mysticism,
when closely examined, is very much a
personal script issue.
(One Wizard I know has many fantasies about who he "really is." He was
adopted at birth and raised as an only
child by an aging, emotional, highly
superstitious, chauvinistic, orthodox religious couple. Mother's injunctions:
"Don't feel you belong; don't fool good
enough," have been elaborated into
"Don't be ordinary." Father's injunctions: "Don't be like me," comes from
father's discomfort that the boy was not
"his." His own personal searchings and
his script decision to wander, search and
never fool "in" underlie much of his

treatment style which is mystical, hints

at his being a "visitor" to this city but
one who is "at one" with a Super-Parent
somewhere.

Superman therapists are living out a

"prick" position, and for such therapists
rescues usually ope-ate as a counterscript for the "jerk" position. The Supermen I know arrange to be mobile, and
rather than work i'l their own offices,
they speed here and there in sports cars,
or on motorcycles or airplanes to various
treatment centers where the patients
remain. The ex Superman therapist
moves far more miles each year than exother kinds of therapists. Some exSupermen continue to assist in dramatic
rescues like arranging illegal abortions
for patients, getting free therapy for
some, and arranging fantastic giveaways. The therapists I know who have
fantasies that, if they have sex with patients, the patients or their husbands
will be cured are apt to be ex-Supermen.
Ex-Supermen in general engage in a
great many hi gh risk operations which
put them, for periods, in the "jerk" position. (Such the:apists are often persons who are living out manic-depressive life plans, having, as young children,
been given alterr-itely exorbitant praise
and responsibility and then, without
reason, severe criticism and kicks.)
A Rip Van Winkle therapist sleeps
through the treatment hour and through
his life in general. (Mother's injunction:
"Don't ever grow up and leave me, but
don't come close; don't feel your feelings.) The Rip Van Winkle therapist
arranges to be r lysically with people,
but withdraws from them or gets patients to withdraw from him. When
patients are in danger of "opening up,"
he plays Kick Me; then, expecting attack, he armors himself. He seals the
eye holes and ear openings in his armor,
sees nothing, hears nothing, falls asleep

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FAIRYTALE SCRIPTS IN TA THERAPISTS

inside his armor and wakes up after the

patient leaves.
A Sleeping Beauty therapist, a female
version of Rip Van Winkle, begins each
session by screwing up the tape recorder
(pricking her finger), then settles to
sleep. She is a very passive therapist,
feeling bored during treatment, waiting
for an "exciti ng patient" (the Prince)
to wake her ,lp. She waits for the patients to come waits for the hour to be
over, waits and waits. She stifles patients' efforts to get in touch with their
feelings by not responding to feeling
material. Onr such Sleeping Beauty
therapist recen .Iy found a "Prince" in her
own personal life, but is "making it
tough for him" (expects him to cut
through the impossible, enchanted forest) to get to l-er, She has fantasies of
his leaving and plans that, if he does,
she will settle back into waiting for a
patient or a prince who is exciting,
powerful enough to overcome her restiveness, i.e., one who has a golden
penis and will wake her up.
Pollyanna ther.ipists play the "glad
game," living out the parental injunction against ex! ressing depressed or
angry feelings. Pollyannas are cheerful "Sweethearts,' who play Kick Me.
The nastier the f'-ltient gets, the sweeter
Pollyanna gets. (Like the three little
monkeys who '.ee no evil, hear no
evil, speak no evil, Pollyannas
compute only ~ladness. ) They teach
patients to be appreciative and are very
appreciative ther.elves. When the patient complains of not having shoes, she
reminds them of other patients who have
no feet (a Polymna version of parental
threat: "You're crying for nothing. If
you cry, I'll rea.ly give you something
to cry about"). She subtly rebukes patients for sad or mad feelings. Patients
feel more and ,ore not OK. The patients who leave feel not OK. The
patients who str v feel not OK.
26

Peter Pans (Mother's injunction:

Don't grow up - don't be a man) operate very much like their female counterpart Tiger Lillies. Therapists who won't
grow up appeal to "young-at-heart"
patients who have been in too-tight
counterscripts and are getting ready to
blow it all and return to the script position. Both subtly invite patients into
believing they can fly. Such therapists'
own Child-Adult contamination supports
the Child-Adult contamination in patients. Peter Pan therapists urge patients
into risky, poorly thought out business
ventures or indiscreet sexual encounters
which end disastrously for the patient,
who is supposed to "laugh while his
dreams fall apart at the seams." Peter
Pan smokes pot with patients to prove
his uninhibited youthfulness and antiEstablishment philosophy.
A Beauty and the Beast therapist is
apt to act like she can convert beasts
into princes if she is faithful, hangs on,
and loves them enough. Sometimes
when there are no beasts around she
converts princes into beasts and then
gets busy converting them back into
princes. She plays Kick Me and Martyr.
She charges low fees ( Beauty just
wanted a rose), works late hours out of
"loyalty to patients," and feels sorry for
herself. She really turns on and puts
out when patients threaten suicide or
are ready to leave. She lives out a
"don't get too close, but don't go away"
thing with patients.
Goldilocks therapists let their curious
Kids run the show. They often dig in
without contracts and poke their noses
into all sorts of areas of the patients'
lives. Like Goldilocks, ex-Goldilocks
therapists are more apt than other therapists to "poke around," ask lots of
questions and get patients mad at
them. They play Kick Me and Let's You
and Him Fight with married couples,
upset and antagonize patients, and
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NATALIE HAIMOWITZ

open doors they cannot close. They run

for emergency consultations with their
supervisors in times of crisis.
These are a few of the treatment
"styles" heavily influenced by therapists'
contaminated Adapted Child ego states.
Studies by Verplanck" Creenspoon"
and others offer interesting insights into
the ways therapists "invite" their patients into specific behaviors. In these
studies persons were asked to speak,
naming common nouns. As a subject
obliged, naming common objects around
the room (chair, table, pillow, etc.), the
experimenter would quietly say: "Urnhm," each time a plural was named (i.e.,
books, windows, cigarettes). In a very
short time, the percentage of plural
words the subject uttered Significantly
increased and grew in proportion.
( The same procedure can increase any
class of verbal behavior, i.e., hostile
words, sexual words, verbs, statements
of opinion, etc.) The quiet, almost inaudible "Um-hm" is a powerful tool.
Beware the "Uh-Huhers" who are unaware of what they uh-huh to!
More visible stroking is offered by
golds tamping therapists-like a Fuller
brush man who greets the lady with:
"I have a free gift for you," not: "I want
to sell you some expensive brushes." So,
many therapists, without computing
their "stay-with-me" message, give gold
stamps good only at their stores. Some
therapists give great quantities of parental strokes ("See-how-nice-it-is-here,"
oompliments, flattery, hugs) for activities which would go unnoticed and be
useless elsewhere. "Great that you came.
IVerplanck, W.S., "The Control of the Content
of Conversation: Reinforcement of Statements
of Opinion," Journal of Abnormal and Social
Psychology, 1955, No. 51, pp. 668-676.
2Greenspoon, J., "Verbal Conditioning and
Clinical Psychology," Experimental Foundations of Clinical Psychology, A. 1. Bachrach,
ed., Basic Books, New York, 1962, pp. 510553.

It shows that you really want to make

it!" "Great that you threw the dishes at
himl" "Great that you are so uptight! It
shows that you care!" "Good that you
can insult me!" The gold stamps keep
the patient attached to the therapist,
tuned into him or her, excited with anticipation, and alerted to new clues about
ways of pleasing or frustrating the therapist (according to th patient's script
and the therapist's Ad ipted Child messages ).
Patients' Little Professors quickly
compute when they are with a therapy
innovator. Therapists who invent new
methods ( Louis Pasteur therapists)
have extraordinary success with their
patients. Freud, Rogers, Pearls, Rosen
all did far better than their followers.
Patients get in touch with something in
the innovator's Child. They get the feeling that he is living out some sort of life
plan of his own, and they sense the tremendous vitality which i'i being invested
in them. The therapist is leader in some
kind of professional movement, and patients are invited it: as followers (The
Lord is My Shepherd). Since the therapist is doing so much for the patient,
the patient is eager to support and defend his therapist over his friends' therapists - all the while admiring his
therapist's "plucky," innovative gutsy
Kid.
Such innovating therapists exude yjtality and "charisma." They give patients opportunity to be part of a great
experiment. The patient comes for himself, 1)'~cause he is experiencing some
kind of life pain which he wishes to
lessen, but he soon discovers that he has
been invited; ilso, to "validate T.A.," to
"grow" in an encounter group, or enjoy
the specific kinds of pleasures and agonies and in-gr.up membership that go
with being "jsycho-analyzed." In short,
the patient is offered a whole new can
of worms which grow out of his dialogue

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FAIRYTALE SCRIPTS IN TA THERAPISTS

and involvement with the therapist person with "hidden agendas," in exchange
for feeling better, permission to disobey
mom and dad's inji motions, and protee-

tion against having to retaliate against

himself for his disobedience. Given this,
patients are apt to assist therapists in
"doing their thing."

THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST AS RESCUER

RICHARD H. LEE
It's my intention in this paper to describe the role of the rescuer in the advancement of script, the assignment of
this role to the therapist by patients, the
influence that playing rescuer has on
the therapeutic process and the pitfalls
of playing this role.
In Steiner's paper "A Script Checklist"
he describes the therapist's role as that
which the patient expects the therapist
to play when he applies for treatment.
The implication of this is that although
patients enter treatment with a constructive overt goal there is always a
covert intention to advance their script
by using the therapist as a character in
their ongoing personal drama. Since it is
invariably the case that the treatment
goal arrived at by mutual agreement is
contrary to the patient's script direction,
it is incumbent upon the therapist to
avoid the role assignment and thereby
advance the treatment goal.
Karpman in "Fairytales and Script
Drama Analysis" states, "Drama can be
analyzed as switches in role and location
on a time contin urn. The intensity of the
drama is influenced by the number of
switches in a time period and the contrast between the positions switched."
To quote Karpman further, "Only three
roles are necessary in drama analysis to
depict the emotional reversals that are
drama. The action roles are the persecutor, rescuer, and victim. Drama begins
when these roles are established and
28

there is no drama unless there is a

switch of role. Patients assign the therapist all three of these action roles.
Serving as rescuer involves the advancement of the patient's script at the
expense of his treatment goal by offering him permission which is based on
the acceptance of some copout or excuse. The rescuer either provides the
patient with a copout or endorses the
copout provided by the patient. Real
help would encourage the patient to
advance his goal at the expense of his
script. The rescuer usually offers to perform some function for the patient that
he can better perform for himself. In
effect the rescuer offers an ulterior contract with the patient to not improve.
Rescuers tend to produce this effect by
playing "I'm only trying to help." Commonly the rescuer is operating from his
nurturing Parent and is offering service
that would be appropriate to an infant,
but is no longer appropriate for the
patient. In effect, the rescuer is inviting
the patient to play the role of victim,
but is preparing the ground for a role
reversal from rescuer to victim by
making a contract with the recipient of
his "help"; that he will offer help on
the grounds that the victim will be ungrateful for the help offered. As a result
the erstwhile victim will eventually tum
upon his rescuer and they will reverse
positions.
Therapists are invited to play any
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