KILLING

Surrender vs. Manipulation

psychological conflict for Independence

In a conflict for Independence both characters want to get rid of the other. Both seek recognition of their own superiority and engage in a compulsive mind game. They want to prove the power of their free will by tricking, trapping and manipulating each other into submission, making the other a hostage to one’s own ingenuity. Because both think getting rid of the other or reducing them to an object would eventually set them free themselves.
SELBSTBESTIMMUNG TOLERANZ KONTROLLE IDENTITÄT ÜBERLEBEN ERFOLG innerer Konflikt – STATUS innerer Konflikt – Wahrheit innerer Konflikt – Macht innerer Konflikt – Frieden
Thriller
Masterpiece

POWER

both want
Independence
+ Recognition

PEACE

Win a Game, Be Admired, Be
Better or Unbeatable, Dominate

DESIRE

Mastery

WANT
to create the Perfect Crime,
Illusion or Masterpiece

CRITIC

Thriller

WANT

ARTIST

Masterpiece

WANT
Stay Alive or Who One is, Be
Respected, Be Seen, Be left Alone

DESIRE

Authenticity

WANT
to stay Independent,
Objective, Neutral
feelsResponsible
actsArrogant
fearsWeakness / Punishment
avoidsMistakes, Risks

take risks
trust others
be dependent
make mistakes

NEED
NEED
Helplessfeels
Independentacts
Harm / Changefears
Emotions, Vulnerabilityavoids

express feelings
find out what he wants
share his ideas & thoughts
listen to his heart

The Critic wants to protect his habitual view on reality + thus seeks to stay independent from his emotions + any external manipulation. The Artist wants to amaze others + dictate their emotions by creating an enigmatic masterpiece that traps them in awe + mystery.
Ambition blocks Authenticity The Critic wants to get rid of the artist because he threatens his own self-perception as a sane self-determined personality. To hide his insecurities he pretends to know it all until he can’t trust his eyes+heart to tell evil from divine. Both want to get rid of each other,
yet shy away from open battle.
Pride blocks Mastery The Artist wants to silence all critical voices, achieve ultimate artistic freedom and prove the limitless power and ingenuity of his mind. But addicted to recognition he fails to give up control and let god speak through his work.
Both characters want to get rid of each other, because they think they could be in charge all on their own. But actually they are deeply dependent. The Artist wants to engage in an intimate act of creation; The critic wants to uphold his own boundaries. They engage in a mind game with one another. This actually keeps them stuck, as they try to win control over the other person and their reactions. The Artists wants to manipulate the feelings of the Critic, while the Critic wants to stay objective and independent from his own feelings + any manipulation.
INDEPENDENCE Absolute Accountability The Critic wants to stay in control of his actions at any time, he resists his own destructive desires + wants to keep others accountable for their deeds too. BOTH WANT
INDEPENDENCE
INDEPENDENCE Freedom without Boundaries The Artist wants to transcend time + space, play god and seeks to become untouchable behind his art. He tries to get away with everything he does.
The Artist seeks to craft a masterpiece, that is beyond reproach. But he needs someone to know his secrets, because fundamentally he looks for recognition for his craft. The Critic engages in this manipulative power play, because he wants to demonstrate his own superiority. Their conflict is a manifestation of both characters repressed spontaneity.
RECOGNITION of Personal Dignity The Critic thinks he needs to be infallible to be seen as the goodhearted spirit he is. He’s hard on himself, blocks his true self along with his human flaws, and fails to recognise his real dignity. BOTH BELIEVE THEY NEED
RECOGNITION
RECOGNITION of transcending Genius The Artist seeks recognition for his genius as a way to redeem his despicable self. He thinks of himself as horrible creature, unworthy of love in itself and hides behind his creative craft.
Eventually only if they stop manipulating each other and their emotions, recognise their interdependence and surrender to each other they’ll profit from each others creative power. Only in trusting surrender + absolute dependence they can free themselves from their internal destructive forces and pass on a new breath of life, be it into a piece of art, a new human being or a self-redeeming rebirth of themselves.