This article is about how matrix games can be used in psycho therapy. It might seem a little out of place here, in a hobby magazine. Many people thing that game is leave their games behind when they go to work. This is not always the case. Hopefully this will interest you and encourage you to try out the good things games have taught you, in the wider world. It is no secret that I make my living as a psychiatric social worker in one of Indiana's rural mental health centers. For the last two years I've been using MGs as a part of my theraputic bag of tricks. "The Family Game" is the latest version of an MG I use with kids. INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY Most people know little to nothing about psychotherapy. If you are one of this group here is a briff (and very incomplete) overview what goes on. People come into counselling that have problems. Simple enough, but the variety of problems is astounding. On an average day one might encounter, alcoholics, drug addicts, schizophrenics, manic depressives, suicidal people, learning disabled kids, physically and or sexually abused people, kids who do not mind their parents, and the list goes on and on. These are big problems and you have to be a little crazy yourself to do this kind of work. The idea of therapy is simple. There is a problem. First the therapist has to figure out what is going on (diagnosis). Then together with the client, a plan of action is decided. The action is aimed at changing the presenting problem for the better (cause and effect). Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Every therapist does it differently, but most people base what they are doing on a theory that explains what the problem is and how it was caused. There are MANY theories. If you are interested in learning some of them, try reading a beginning psychology text (but don't be fooled by behaviorism appearing on every second page, that is only ONE theory). So there it is. Therapy is all about identifying problems and then taking actions to (hopefully) make it better. MATRIX GAMES What can an MG accomplish in psychotherapy? First remember that therapy is meant to change problems. Also remember that therapy is based on theories. So the theory behind MGs should answer how they work. The original idea about MGs grew out of the following sources. Kant contributed the idea of catagorizing the world. Hegel contributed the idea of a dialogue of arguments. Freud gave the idea that categories are dynamic (i.e. they change). German Gestalt psychology gave the idea that a "matrix/gestalt" could be made to graphically show the world. William James gave the idea. to do what works and to change what doesn't. And lastly Family Systems theory explained what the changes meant to, families. Huh? Most people have never read Kant or Freud so the last paragraph probably makes very little sense to most people. The ideas themselves though, are simple. Each one of us, understands the world based on our own unique point of view. Another word for this is "world view." Part of what ones world view does is explain how things fit together. World views point out how things are the same or different. There is an opinion that is very wide spread that if one only knew enough one could know what will happen next. The problem is that we all see the world differently and sometimes our points of view are very different. This leads to arguments, conflicts, and eventually resolutions. Arguments about world views of any situation generally leads to both sides coming closer together. The process of give and take, push and yield. Yielding is often times a tactic to get what one really wants. Of course we don't always get what we want even after years of trying. It sometimes happens that one chooses to change what the goal is based on the difficulty of getting it. Imagine that a persons world view could be shown is a graph or a table. Some people's world view "matrix" might look the same but have a different meaning. For example, a cup may be half full to one person and half empty to another. Probably no world view matrix could be "complete" but since limited information usually suggests information to fill in the gaps, this is not a problem. Combining the idea of arguing about world views (which changes the world views being argued about) with a matrix of what one world view "looks" like, is what an MG is all about. As the arguments happen, the players can "see" the world view change. They will know why it changed because all arguments give reasons why something goes one way and not another. Famiies seem to have world views of their own. often times the world view difficult to get at for someone outside of the faintly. Stangely people inside families are often also unaware of what their word view is. To them it is like riding a bike. One can do it, but it is hard to describe how one does it. Playing a family MG allows the family to "ride their bike." This will show everyone how their social matrix works. So what can MG accomplish in therapy? Many things. They make it possible to "see" how a persons world view/social matrix works. They educate people on how they think. They allow the person to try out new ways of doing things (without risk). They show people that they do have some say over where they are going (if they get Involved and argue). And they are fun to play (a must, if the players are going to want to ever do the game again.) THE FAMILY GAME Most of you have seen my previous MGs so this section will not harp on how MGs work. The rules for this games are the same as those used In the Swashbucklers beginners MG. The Family Game is an MG that recreates the interactions families go through in certain situations. These include: 1. a kid disobeying parents, 2. parents fighting, 3. a kid getting caught drinking, 4. a kid in trouble. The game can be used for other scenarios as it seems appropriate. Look over the matrix and think of other situations it could handle. The Family Game has two players: the kid, and the parent. At first it seem best to have the kid play the kid and the parent or therapist play the parents. Later this can be changed. THE MATRIX HOUSEKEEPING: 1. Clean Up 2. Cook 3. Shop 4. Something Breaks 5. I'll do it tomorrow 6. It must be perfect 7. Repair 8. Pig Pen 9. Feed the dog 10. Job done 11. Job half done SELFCARE: 1. Sleep 2. 1 don't want to talk about it 3. Sick 4. Get dressed 5. Headache 6. I feel good 7. Take a bath 8. Eat 9. Pick up after yourself 10. Say how you feel HAVE FUN: 1. Play a game 2. Talk 3. Shout 4. Run 5. Watch TV 6. I want to have fun 7. I don't want to be bored 8. Tear up something 9. Tell stories 10. Rough house 10. Read 11. Play make believe 12. Make friends FIGHTING: 1 . Oh ... I didn't hear you 2. Knock down 3. Whine 4. Hit 5. Curse 6. Temper tamtrum 7. Give the silent treatment 8. Yes but ... 9. Hurt 10. Threaten 11. Arguing 12. I won't back down DISCIPLINE: 1. Stand In the corner 2. Lose priviledges 3. Time out 4. Disobey 5. Pleading 6. Do this ... 7. Spank 8. I want to avoid pain 9. Give in 10. Stop It 11. Make fun of 12. You're a bad boy 13. Peer pressure 14. The silent treatment 15. Allowance 16. Set a limit RESPECT: 1. Nagging 2. Give a hug 3. Listen 4. Blame 5. Cooperate 6. Be honest 7. Take responsibility 8. Say no when it is wrong 9. Get in your face 10. We agree to disagree 11. Share 12. Lie 13. Steal 14. Do what you are asked to 15. Leave alone 16. Ask EMOTIONS: 1. Frustration 2. Hunger 3. Happy 4. Guilty 5. Pity 6. Stubborn 7. Pain 8. Self pity 9. Determined 10. Nervous 11. Thirst 12. Patient 13. Bored 14. Giggly 15. sad 16. Love 17. Anger 18. Embarrassed 19. Ashamed 20. Fear 21. Trust SCHOOL: 1. Follow the rules 2. Work 3. Be on time 4. Homework 5. I learned something today 6. Don't talk ABUSE: 1. Beat up 2. Use drugs 3. Molest 4. Drink alcohol PLUS TWO WILD CARDS THAT CAN BE ANYTHING My experience has been that a twelve year old of average intelligence is able to learn how to play an MG within 10 to 15 minutes. This is accomplished not by reading off the rules to the child. Kids learn best by being shown an example, then asked to make an argument of their own. The process of learning generally follows the same pattern ... The kid looks at the matrix and does not know what it is. I show them an example of an argument and counter argument. We roll dice to see which argument "wins." (Kids like rolling dice. I generally simplify the rules so that all rolls are 3 or less, unless the argument is strong or weak.) The kid now makes an argument to which I counter argue. I ask the kid if either argument is strong or weak. Then we make any modified dice rolls to see who "wins." At this point most kids understand how to play and will begin to make creative original arguments. Each turn the right to make the first argument passes from the kid to the parent and then back to the kid again. So if the kid says he breaks up the kitchen for fun, then the parents get to counter argue and say "Yes and you are grounded for a month." Each scenario suggests a certain situation that has to be resolved. If the player is the kid in the "disobeys the parent" scenario, his goal is to stay out of trouble. The arguments of the game are the way the player attempts to accomplishes that goal. Along the way the player interact with the rules of the game and possible learns something about how to solve problems. Deciding whither arguments are strong or weak allows the kid to tell the therapist if an argument makes sense in his world view or not. it also allows the kid to hear when the therapist thinks something is out of line or not. Making arguments shows the kid that there are reasons for why things happen. The reasons are not always good but even when they aren't an argument can still happen. If a kid really wants something he can try to get it in the next argument.. Persistence does pay off. This is the beginnings of strategic thinking, which can be use to solve problems outside of the game. What follows are some of the observations I've made about MGs regarding some issues of therapy. DIAGNOSTICS: MGs are not tools for making a diagnosis. A good solid interview or a psychological test are much better at this. An MG can help in refining a diagnosis and for this reason it is quite useful. A kid who makes arguments that are all of a violent nature probably has more problems than kid who only argues for a little anarchy. Since MGs also look at how emotions fit into reasoning, the game can also show if a kid is using emotions in a "bizarre" manner. About two years ago I ran an MG for some adolescent boys who were in an alcohol education class. I made my arguments iIn the game using the reasoning drug addicts often use. One of the kids in the groups commented that "that's just how I do things." This fit since the boy is an addict. FAMILY DYNAMICS: Parents can play this game with their kids while the therapist watches. This is always Interesting to do since the families tend to play out what is going on at how in the game. If the kid is making arguments that are really extreme and the parent makes a whimpy counter argument then one can probably say the same happens at home. Recently I ran a game for a grandmother and her adopted grandson. The kid picked up the game quickly and then taught his grandma. When they started to play the game together, she chose to be the kid rather than be the parent. Her arguments consistently moved for her to avoid all responsibility. Since the Department of Welfare is investigating her for neglect, this game also seems to fit with broader life. INTRAPSYCHIC DYNAMICS: People make arguments for what they want to have happen in the game. People also make arguments (whither they are aware of them or not) for what they do in their lives. The arguments that a person makes and particularly the reasons that a person uses tells a lot about how their world view is put together. Playing the game can make a person aware of how they do things. The kid who taught his grandma the game had an experience like this earlier. He ran into a situation in which he got stuck with the result that he is angry. Rather than argue that he hit a wall to get out the anger, the kid argued that it turned into guilt (an emotion he could handle). When I pointed out that he probably does this at home, he said "yeah." AFTERWARD MGs are certainly a tool one can use in psychotherapy. They are also games that can be used for fun. This article pushes the limits of what is appropriate in a hobby magazine. It is not really an academic article but it is an academic subject. I hope it has been good at stirring up some new ideas.. Feel free to use "The Family Game" in anyway you want to. Back to Experimental Games Group # 11 Table of Contents Back to Experimental Games Group List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Chris Engle This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com