2. Prepared By
Manu Melwin Joy
Research Scholar
School of Management Studies
CUSAT, Kerala, India.
Phone – 9744551114
Mail – manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com
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3. Script and the stress
• Stan Woollams has
suggested the idea of a
stress scale.
• The greater the stress, the
more likely the person is to
get into script.
• It we grade stress say from
1 to 10, I may get into script
in a situation that is
stressful at level 6 or higher.
• You may be able to go up to
to 8 before moving to
script.
4. Script and the stress
• Say I have a disagreement
with my immediate line
manager. This represents
only a level 3 stress. So I
stay out of script.
• I discuss our differences in
an Adult way. I reason that
my manager and I will
either work out a
compromise, or have to
agree to differ. If it’s the
latter, then no disaster.
5. Script and the stress
• But now the line manager
calls in the Director. An
argument with the boss
counts as level 6 on the
stress scale.
• I flip into script. Faced with
Director, I activate the same
physical reactions, feelings
and thoughts I used to have
as a child when my angry
father loomed over me like
a giant, shouting words of
abuse I couldn’t
understand.
6. Script and the stress
• Without realizing it
unconsciously, I have made the
Director ‘become’ my father.
And I respond as if I were a
terrified kid of three again.
• The stress scale is a good way of
pointing up the relationship
between stress and scripty
responses. It does not mean
that stress can make anyone go
into script.
• The movement to script is
decisional, even though the
decision is out of awareness.
7. Script and the stress
• It is probable that simply by
learning about script, I will
become able to take greater
stress before I move into scripty
behavior.
• If I undertake personal therapy,
I can further improve my ability
to problem solve rather than
reverting to scripty behavior.