Peculiarities of the manipulative-game interаction between the citizen and the state

Abstract

Distrust in the relationship between the citizen and the state leads to the dominance of manipulative-gaming interaction, which hinders both the development of civic identity and the establishment of partnerships between the citizen and the state. The aim of the article is a further conceptualization the doctrine of healthy and deformed relations between the individual and the state (in particular, analysis of the manipulative-gaming interaction between the citizen and the state. The theoretical model of “civic games” presented earlier is complemented by the concept of symmetrical and asymmetrical games practiced in the relations between the individual and the state. This concept is substantiated by the description of games initiated by the state: a game that is a “mirror image” of the civic game “Parasite”, as well as the asymmetrical game “Fighting Corruption”.

The scientific value of the article is related to the application of the doctrine of transactional analysis to the relations between the citizen and the state; its practical value lies in the disclosure of forms of manipulative- gaming interaction, which opens up the possibility of finding ways to replace it with rational partnerships. Eric Berne's transactional analysis and the self-agency’s approach  were used as the methodological basis for our research. Conclusion: manipulative-gaming interaction replace a healthy relationship between the individual and the state. It expresses itself in the so-called games (in Berne's understanding), which are a surrogate for healthy relationships and are aimed at achieving a psychological (political) benefits that imitates the solution of existing problems. The author analyzes a pair of symmetrical games - “Parasite” and “Give me everything for your own benefit” - as well as an asymmetrical game initiated by the state - “Fighting Corruption”.

Keywords: civic identity, games, manipulative interaction, relations, state.