Meta programs

Satir categories are valuable tools for tuning into others’ emotional states, maintaining rapport, calming someone down, and delivering powerful, emotionally engaging speeches. Virginia Satir, through her extensive work with families in therapy, observed that when people experience stress during communication, they tend to adopt certain recognizable attitudes or stances. Satir found that these stances not […]

Virginia Satir identified that about 4.5% of people typically adopt the leveler attitude, which some consider an optimistic estimate. Levelers are authentic and consistent in their beliefs. They honor their own perspective, acknowledge others’ viewpoints, and consider the broader context of situations. Unlike the other stress-related stances, levelers display no signs of internal conflict or

According to Virginia Satir, roughly 0.5% of people typically adopt the distracter attitude. These individuals behave as if the answers “yes,” “no,” or anything else don’t really matter. A distracter tends to shift unpredictably between the other three Satir stances (placater, blamer, and computer), effectively deflecting responsibility from themselves, others, and the situation. Their behavior

Virginia Satir proposed that about 15% of people commonly adopt the computer attitude. These individuals tend to avoid giving clear “yes” or “no” answers and rarely reveal their true feelings or desires. The computer personality shifts responsibility away from both themselves and others, instead focusing on the situation or context. They strive to respect the

Virginia Satir estimated that about 30% of people tend to adopt the blamer attitude. These individuals often say “no” regardless of what they truly feel or want, often taking a firm principled stance. Blamers shift responsibility away from themselves and place it on others or external factors. They focus solely on their own perspective and

According to Virginia Satir, about half of people tend to adopt the placater attitude. Those who do so often say “yes” even when they don’t truly agree or want to. Placaters take full responsibility onto themselves while minimizing or dismissing the role of others. They tend to respect other people’s opinions and the situation’s context,