The Karpman drama triangle is a social model of human interaction proposed by San Francisco psychiatrist, Stephen B. Karpman in 1968. The triangle maps a type of destructive interaction that can occur among people in conflict. … The triangle of actors in the drama are persecutors, victims, and rescuers.

Drama triangle proposed by the psychiatrist Stephen B. Karpman

Karpman described how in some cases these roles were not undertaken in an honest manner to resolve the presenting problem, but rather were used fluidly and switched between by the actors in a way that achieved unconscious goals and agendas.

See also The Power of TED (*The Empowerment Dynamic) by David Emerald to break out of that model into a healthier one, where instead of victim, villain and hero, you have creator, challenger, and coach:

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One of the fundamental differences between the Victim orientation and the Creator one is where you put the focus of your attention. For Victims, the focus is always on what they don’t want: the problems that seem constantly to multiply in their lives. They don’t want the person, condition, or circumstance they consider to be their villain.

Creators, on the other hand, place their focus on what they DO want. Doing this, Creators still face and solve problems in the course of creating the outcomes they want.