If you’re the kind of person who listens to mental health podcasts, you’re more likely than average to get pulled into an impromptu “helping role” with your family and friends. Sometimes we choose to play these roles, but they can also be uncomfortable or one-sided. And sometimes we get stuck playing a role for someone else that we never wanted in the first place.
On this episode of the Being Well Podcast, Forrest and Dr. Rick use this situation as a way in to exploring the various roles we play in life, and the profound impact those often unconscious roles have on us. They talk about relationship models, how we select our roles, how familiar roles can keep us trapped in old patterns, enactments and triangulation, and how we can exit unhealthy systems.
Key Topics:
- 0:00: Introduction
- 2:50: The hazards of accidentally becoming a friend’s therapist
- 6:45: Objectivity, professionalism, and not needing to be liked
- 11:00: The roles we take on and how they shape us
- 16:45: Why we choose certain roles, and being crippled by our strengths
- 21:00: Enactments
- 25:15: Splitting
- 30:10: When someone else pushes you into a role
- 35:10: Triangulation
- 48:10: Deep listening and a lesson from Carl Rogers
- 51:10: Practical tips for drawing boundaries in your roles with others
- 59:40: Recap
