The Window of Tolerance, the Drama Triangle, and the Adjacent Possible is an essay that began life as a set of slides intended to appear in video form.

Central to the discussion here are four diagrams - two of which refer to the 'Window'. Here we can show them aligned side by side - and for the Window, in colour.

NB: The original window is usually attributed to Dan Siegal, in his book The Developing Mind (1999)

The 5-band version is attributed to staff of the University of South Queensland, Australia

The Drama Triangle(s)

NB: The original version of the Drama Triangle, often known as the Karpman after the author, has an image that shows (via the arrows pointing both ways) how the roles may be subtly reversed during the 'flip'.

There is a mildly entertaining video in the Library (HERE) that shows, in exaggerated cartoon form, the three roles in the Karpman version.

The chapter quoted (King, 2013) from an earlier essays collection, from which some sections here have been taken, is "The Drama Triangle and other 'un-wanted repetitive patterns in care services' (HERE), from 'Complex Trauma and Its effects - Perspectives on creating an environment for recovery' (HERE)

‘Psychologically Informed Environments from the ground up: Service design for complex needs : HERE

All other PIE publications : HERE

Chapters and content links

• Foreword
• Introduction : Full text coming soon.
• Three Models of the Origins of Homelessness : HERE
• Trauma is not the only psychology : HERE
• The Window of Tolerance, the Drama Triangle, and the Adjacent Possible : HERE
• Attachment, trauma and the social environment: COMING SOON
• Strengths, ambivalence and paradox: : HERE
• Pre-treatment : PIEs in the micro-social world :  HERE
• Living in Temporary Accommodation : HERE
• Unfinished business: COMING SOON
• Afterthoughts : Full text coming soon.
• About the author : COMING SOON

To purchase via Blackwell's : HERE