Problem-->Reaction-->Solution

Let’s take the toxic triangle from the previous post one step further.  I call this problem, reaction, and solution.  The perpetrator causes the problem, the victim reacts, and the rescuer provides the solution.  On the conscious levels, this pattern seems to be very straight forward. 

Here’s an example.  A building catches on fire (problem).  Someone sees the fire and calls the fire department (reaction).  The fire department comes and puts out the fire (solution).  No one dies, minimal damage is done, and everyone is happy.

Now let’s suppose that there is a twist to this scenario.  What if the person who starts the fire, the perpetrator, is the same person who comes to put out the fire and is the rescuer?  How could this happen?  Perhaps this is how he gets ego gratification by being a hero.  He may have a personal reason for doing damage to that particular piece of property.  Maybe there is a political reason, such as an impending vote to downsize the fire department.  Or he gets turned on by seeing a building burn, and there hadn’t been a big enough fire in his town for a while.  In other words, the perpetrator creates the problem knowing what the reaction will be so that he can achieve his desired goal, which is his solution. 

Here’s another example that may have happened to you at some point.  Somebody says something to offend you.  You react by getting angry and defending yourself.  The person who started it all then throws up their hands, points the finger at you, and wants to know why you are being so mean to them.  They have created the end result, or solution, of you being the bad guy, or perpetrator.  This may have been their intent all along, or this can be just the way that they make themselves look good, and you look bad.  This is another example of how the toxic triangle can rotate around.

These are personal examples, but this dynamic plays out every day in government and politics all over the world.  It’s like a giant multileveled chess game.  With the hidden and also the obvious moves, it’s hard to keep the whole thing straight.  Keep in mind that the problem would not be created if the person or group creating it did not know what the reaction would be.  The end result is the achievement of their desired goal.

Look at how our world has changed since the 911 attack, with assaults on our personal rights each time we take a trip on a plane.  Was this the intended outcome, or did someone take advantage of that event to achieve the goal of reducing our rights and freedoms?  Look at the attempts to restrict gun ownership because of the recent mass shootings, even though gun crime has been steadily going down in recent years.  Are we looking at manufactured or manipulated events designed to achieve a “solution” that fits a certain person or group’s agenda?  You be the judge.