Karpman Drama Triangle Test

Understand your go-to conflict role in about 4 minutes, whether you feel powerless, push back, or overhelp. Get quick, practical insight to set healthier boundaries and reduce tension in tough conversations.

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Questions: 184 minutes

08:30

September 1, 2026

September 1, 2026
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

15,252 views

1,666 completions

1,238 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

3/7

Persecutor (P)

Measures how strongly you tend to respond in conflict situations with criticizing, blaming, or dominating behavior associated with the Persecutor role.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 3: Low | 4 – 5: Moderate | 6 – 7: High

A score of 3 falls in the Low range, suggesting you generally show relatively little persecuting behavior such as harsh criticism or pressure in recent interactions.

example score

5/7

Rescuer (R)

Measures how strongly a person tends to take a helping-or-fixing role in conflict situations, sometimes beyond what is requested or appropriate.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2: Low | 3 – 5: Moderate | 6 – 7: High

A score of 5 indicates a moderate tendency to step into a Rescuer role, often offering help readily and sometimes at the cost of clear boundaries.

example score

3/7

Victim (V)

Measures how strongly you tend to adopt a helpless, oppressed stance in conflict situations and shift responsibility to others.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 3: Low | 4 – 5: Moderate | 6 – 7: High

A score of 3 falls in the Low range, suggesting you generally show limited tendency to respond from a helpless or dependent position in recent interactions.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Stuck in recurring conflict

41%OF USERS

People who notice the same arguments and emotional blowups repeating in a relationship, friendship, or family and want to see what role they fall into.

Helpers who feel drained

34%OF USERS

Those who often step in to fix others’ problems, then end up resentful or exhausted, and want to understand their rescuing patterns and boundaries.

Coaches and therapy clients

25%OF USERS

People doing personal development work who want a quick, structured way to map their reactions in tense interactions for discussion in sessions.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Persecutor (P)

Average

4.3

Normal range

3.3 — 5.4

min.

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This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Rescuer (R)

Average

3.3

Normal range

2.4 — 4.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Victim (V)

Average

4.7

Normal range

3.7 — 5.8

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Rather disagree
- Cannot decide
- Rather agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Cannot decide
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Completely agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Cannot decide
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 18 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Karpman Drama Triangle Test - Symptoms and Signs

transactional analysis

karpman triangle

This questionnaire is designed to screen interpersonal role patterns commonly described in the Karpman Drama Triangle. It samples typical responses to conflict and relational tension using 18 items and takes about 4 minutes to complete.

Item content reflects the three role positions emphasized in the model (e.g., victim, persecutor/critic, and rescuer/caretaker), with results intended to support self-reflection and clinical discussion rather than serve as a diagnostic indicator. Findings may be useful for identifying recurrent interaction cycles and treatment targets in individual, couples, or group work. The Karpman Drama Triangle is best understood as a conceptual framework; scores should be interpreted cautiously and integrated with collateral information and clinical judgment.

Literature: Lac, A., & Donaldson, C. D. Development and validation of the drama triangle scale: Are you a victim, rescuer, or persecutor? Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2020.