They’ll Be Glad They Knew Me

Original First Edition of Games People Play 1964 Eric Berne

Original First Edition of Games People Play from Eric Berne’s private library.

Thesis. This is a more worthy variant of “I’ll Show Them.”  There are two forms of “I’ll Show Them.”  In the destructive form White “shows them” by inflicting damage on them.  Thus he may maneuver himself into a superior position, not for the prestige or the material rewards but because it gives him power to exercise his spite.  In the constructive form White works hard and exerts every effort to gain prestige, not for the sake of craftsmanship or legitimate accomplishment (although those may play a secondary role), nor to inflict direct damage on his enemies, but so that they will be eaten with envy and with regret for not having treated him better.

The description of this game on this page is incomplete.  For a complete description of this game, refer to Games People Play.