Julie’s Ideas Blog 48: Script as Metaphor – Part 2

In Part 1 of this blog, I showed how I had been combining NLP with TA (Hay, 2002) and wrote about why it is important to realise that our metaphors may carry more meaning than we intend. I also wrote about everyday maps and identity maps.  Below is another extract from the 2002 article, where I link these ideas to script and present my 5E model for checking metaphors.

Berne (1972) and Steiner (1974) went further and suggested the notion of lifescripts.  Berne refers to our use of fairy stories - people unwittingly become characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood, Prince Charming or Cinderella.  We may instead become one of the other players in such stories, especially if we have decided not to be too important.  Having heard the story that seems to fit our experiences of the world at a young age (before seven), we decide to be that character and then grow up with no conscious awareness of our decision.

‘Cinderella’ may well work hard for many years while her (or his – these are unisex) manager (wicked stepmother) and colleagues (ugly sisters) take all the credit – until one day a mentor (fairy godmother) ensures that Cinders gets to present at the annual conference (ball) and the senior manager (Prince) finally recognises just how good Cinders is and promotes her/him (marries and takes to castle).  Or Robin Hood may adopt a role as official or unofficial staff representative (outlaw) and spend time arguing (fighting) with a manager (Sheriff of Nottingham) on behalf of the workforce (peasants), both overtly through open attacks and covertly by awarding perks that are outside the rules - until one day the Chief Executive (King Richard) makes a visit and sees what has been happening and demotes the manager and promotes Robin.

The modern version of this lifescript process may well be that children choose TV programmes or films instead of fairy stories.  Perhaps we will now have people who live like characters from Star Trek, no longer boldly going but leading through involvement, or being totally empathic, or operating very rationally and without emotions – the programme offers many choices. 

Berne also referred to Campbell (1973) who had identified that there are only a limited number of themes to fairy stories around the world, and that these also fit Greek myths.  Kahler (1979) developed this to identify some characteristic ways of behaving that encapsulate the lifetime themes within single interactions.  Thus, we may unwittingly reinforce patterns that comprise:

• Always – like Arachne weaving her web, we may be condemned to doing the same thing all the time – You’ve made your bed, now lie in it!  So our sentence patterns, and lives, tend to be monotonous.
• After – like Damocles, whenever we are having a good time, we are conscious that there is a sword handing over us – You’ll pay for this in the morning!  So we add caveats onto the end of apparently positive comments, and expect to be criticised after any compliments.
• Until – like Hercules, you must complete all your labours before you can enjoy yourself – but somehow by the time you’ve done the work, it’s too late to have fun.  So we pack a lot of detail into our sentences, and into our work, so it all takes a long time.
• Never – like Tantalus, what you want is just out of your reach – so we get excited about what we’re saying or doing; we try hard but then consistently fail to finish.
• Almost – like Sisyphus rolling the stone up the hill, over and over – we keep almost getting there, almost saying what we mean – but constantly go back to start again, or decide there is now another hill to climb without taking the time to savour our achievements.
• Open Ended – like Baucis and Philemon, we seem to stand for eternity after having done our duty – so we work hard and then retire and wonder what to do now.

Monitoring our Maps

Whether we are functioning as managers, facilitators, mentors, coaches, trainers, etc, it is important that we become aware of our own metaphors and paradigms so that we do not impose these unwittingly on others.  It can also be useful to check out a few of our maps – we may well find some common themes.
The following are some suggestions for the aspects to check once we recognise that we are operating within a metaphor or paradigm:

• What does the map embody – what is the main thrust of the content; what responses does it generate within the body; if it is a story, what happens; what is it about; are there specific steps or stages within it; what might it prompt someone to do?
• What does it encompass – how far does this particular map extend; does it apply only to a specific event, to a person or role, to a period of time; might it define your whole life or that of the organisation; what are the limits or boundaries; where does the metaphor break down; is there a better alternative map?
• What does it entail – is there a sting in the tail; does it have elements that you would prefer were not there; what might happen because of it that would be unhelpful; how ecologically sound is it; what might you be overlooking when you focus on the main theme; do you need to change the map?
• How might, or should, it be enriched – how much is it locked into your own cultural or other set of paradigms; how could you make it richer by being open to other people’s maps of the world; how could you extend it by weaving in metaphors and paradigms from other cultures?
• How does, or could, it, empower – what ‘power’ does the map provide; what positive developmental elements does it contain; what is the impact on you or others of operating within the map; how might you change it so that it becomes more empowering?

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References

Berne, Eric (1972) What Do You Say After You Say Hello? New York: Grove Press

Campbell, Joseph (1973) The Hero with a Thousand Faces Princeton: Princeton University Press

Hay, Julie (2002) Metaphors and Paradigms – Whose Map of the World? Organisations & People 9:4 2-8

Kahler, Taibi (1979) Process Therapy in Brief Little Rock, AR: Human Development Publications

Steiner, Claude (1974) Scripts People Live New York: Bantam
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© 2018 Julie Hay​
 
​Julie is a fan of open access publishing so feel free to reproduce any of these blogs as long as you still attribute it to her.
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