Nowadays is differentiated from idle gossip by its slogan Its no wonder. This is not a new idea. In this more sophisticated group, accustomed to game analysis, there was a conspicuous lack of togetherness when White remarked: Speaking of not trusting people, its no wonder you cant trust anyone nowadays. Those in whom the suffering is inadvertent, but is gratefully received because of the opportunities for exploitation it offers. Ain't it Awful is a Party Game as defined by Eric Berne in Games People Play. Those in whom the suffering is inadvertent and unwanted. Therapists have to manage clients to prevent them from using sessions to play “Ain’t It Awful” rather than working to improve difficult situations and implement changes. It is not a harmless game. It is particularly pointless to mention that their party was in control of the Congress and the Executive branch for most of the 8 years preceding their epiphany that the country was on the short road to ruin. One of the classic recommendations to people who have come to realize that they have been drawn in to these “Ain’t It Awful” games is simply to stop playing. are simply playing “Ain’t It Awful” all day long, day after day, and serving up the drug of Right and Righteousness to their audience – all without any hint of responsibility on the part of the listener. The classic example of this is where a bunch of employees sit around the water cooler or having a beer after work, and bitch about how screwed up the company is, how all the managers are clueless, how so many co-workers (none of whom are present) are morons, lazy, or corrupt, and so on. While they engage in uncovering lies on both sides they also fact check and do not present editorial content as news. These are doctor-shoppers, people who actively seek surgery even in the face of sound medical opposition. #3 by Jet levine on May 11, 2012 - 4:22 am. Watch how often it happens when people are gathered together. Ultimately, however, it accomplishes nothing and leads to no improvement in the situation which is the context for the complaining. Dan, “Ain’t-it-awful” is one of the games people play. Fox/Republican “ain’t it awful” is a purposeful political propaganda technique designed to get people mad about something, either real or imagined, (seems like mostly the latter) and to blame their lot on the progressive liberal side of politics. In its extreme form this game is played professionally by fraudulent or determined liability and malpractice claimants, who may earn a living by deliberately or opportunistically incurring disabilities. 4. On the contrary, this game allows the participants to feel some level of bonding around their shared experience of misery and frustration. Everything is bad. Someone enters a rant about all the abounding sins of the surrounding culture, of a particular group, or some action of … Here the differentiation from idle gossip lies in the rivalry and surgical sophistication. His book Games People Play was still popular when I began training in counseling and psychotherapy in 1982. In general, people who suffer misfortunes may be divided into three classes. The internal psychological advantage comes from having the body mutilated; the external psychological advantage lies in the avoidance of all intimacies and responsibilities except complete surrender to the surgeon. This is played in four significant forms: Parental pastime, Adult pastime, Child pastime and game. In the pastimes there is no denouement or payoff, but much unworthy feeling. The title pretty much sums it up. Walk away and find something positive to do. Both comments and pings are currently closed. 2. Nothing is good. There’s a difference between shining light on a bad situation and playing “ain’t it awful”. One such woman withdrew from a therapy group when her opening move was met with silence instead of with the excited corroboration she was accustomed to in her social circle. I was looking through the desk of one of my roomers, and you wont believe what I found. She knew the answers to most of the current community problems: juvenile delinquency (parents too soft nowadays); divorce (wives without enough to do to keep them busy nowadays); crime (foreigners moving into white neighbourhoods nowadays); and rising prices (businessmen too grasping nowadays). One of the games described by Eric Berne in his 1964 bestseller, Games People Play, is more popular than ever. The biological advantages are typified by nursing care. thanks, Jet, #4 by George Kaye on May 11, 2012 - 8:18 pm. These are doctor-shoppers, people who actively seek surgery even in the face of sound medical opposition. The marvelous poet, Mary Oliver, said, “Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, etc. enjoyed the read– is there anything you can describe in your life that fits the bill of committing to that which, enhances our evolution? The internal social advantages come from the medical and nursing staff, and from other patients. The experience itself, the hospitalization and surgery, brings its own advantages. There’s a reminder at the (Jewish) high holidays not to speak ill of others. 1. The self-styled “Tea Party” crew that swept on the scene a few years ago actually has nothing more to offer than strident rants about how awful everything is. 4. These patterns were called “games” because indeed, they seemed to be group activities defined by specific, if unwritten, rules, and serving some purpose, even if not consciously understood.