The Odd Couple: A case study of gaslighting?

The Odd Couple: A case study of gaslighting? [script of Buzzsprout podcast]

This podcast summarises a case study of the working relation of a broadcasting team and in particular of its two lead broadcasters whose names I have described as Kenneth and Barbie.
Their story reminds me of examples of teams from real life and fiction, including the one made famous in the film The Odd Couple, brilliantly played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Another humorist and actor Steve Cooghan mocked the morning chat show displays of harmonious teamwork, in his TV series Mid-Morning Matters. He portrayed his fictional persona Alan Partridge as an insensitive male, unaware of the crushing impact he is having on all around him. This piece of comedy brilliance works partly because of its dark undertones.

I became increasingly reminded the Cooghan treatment in the behaviour of a pair of real-life broadcasters sharing a morning programme of news, entertainment, guests and phone-in calls. So much so, that I began to see their developing relationship as a performance concealing those darker elements revealed in Cooghan’s fictional relationships.

Only later did I realise the richness of ideas suggested in the case study also helps throw light on important questions about creativity, social psychology and sociology.

So, I began collecting the evidence, which is the first part of this post. In the second part I turn to those implications.

After some deliberation, I decided to reconstruct my notes from my daily records into an account based on real life, but with modifications to avoid identification of the particular case and individuals represented.

Here we go [notes from TR’s records]:

First, the two central figures, whom I have called Kenneth and Barbie. Barbie is the more senior figure with a reputation as having a warm style and an extensive knowledge of current affairs, sport, and domestic trials of her family life shared with her audience.
Kenneth is a few years younger than Barbie. He has a varied series of professional successes as a broadcaster, author, and actor.

Kenneth joined Barbie in the regular mid-morning show after the departure of Barbie’s previous co-host. Kenneth had arrived after his earlier programme was closed down, a decision he criticised very publicly as a mistake.

He quickly demonstrated technical skills and brought enthusiasm and depth of knowledge in a range of interests.

I noted a critical series of incidents as Christmas approached. Kenneth appeared hasty to correct Barbie in what seemed trivial matters. Barbie tended to avoid reacting, often moving on humorously. Other presenters introduced humorous examples of what became a kind of running joke about Kenneth’s intense competitiveness in office get togethers.

In terms of developing team roles, the gentle interpersonal exchanges continued although Barbie and Kenneth seemed to have moved into a reasonable accommodation.

Kenneth’s career seemed to be on the up. He added more roles to his portfolio. Increased items on these were included in the shared broadcasts. In this respect, the role Kenneth played had become close to that which was found from the contributions of his experienced predecessor. That is to say, the programme appeared to make Kenneth the more interesting member of the team in his career, and even in the revelations of his domestic life.

A few months later I noticed the start of a curious change in discussions between Kenneth and Barbie. I labelled it the hysterical phase, and tried to recapture it at the time.

Later [also from my notes]
The chuckle channel? New young presenter with Kenneth. They chat item on when does middle age start.
Kenneth unable to say anything without bursting into laughter. His laughter is infectious. Young Barbie substitute also laughing helplessly. Kenneth acts as if this is all OK. There’s a kind of theatrical name for breaking out of character. It’s called corpsing. It sometimes works with a live audience which shared hilarity.
Not sure what to make of it.

Barbie returns

A few days later, Barbie is back. As the show gets started, Kenneth starts on a let’s catch up routine involving their movements. But it quickly deteriorates into the same sort of hysteria until Barbie moves them on to their next scripted item.
Not sure what to make of that, either.
This week. Another two incidents I see as related. Kenneth and Barbie are back to work. The hysteria spell seems to have passed. They move to an item which surprises me. Kenneth heaps elaborate praise on Barbie for a special broadcast she hosted last night. She accepts the compliment. Obviously pleased. Then the punch line. ‘I still think you should have used my title. It’s much better than the one you used’. What was that all about?
The programme moved on. Kenneth sounded elated. Welcomed a young female colleague who said she had something to tell him about one of the subjects he likes to expound on.
On hearing her news, he responds dismissively that it’s an old story he’s already spoken about.
Why the reaction? What can we learn from the case study? Case studies are found in courses on topics such as leadership and team dynamics. They help students relate the specific case to personal experiences and which can be studied for more general implications drawing on relevant theoretical ideas.

The researcher, in this case me, tries to capture what has been observed avoiding personal judgement or explanations of what happened. This takes place at the stage of discussion of the case in the classroom, or in the conclusions of a published report.

After some thought, I have decided to leave the listeners with the opportunity to decide what sense they make of the case, and provide my own conclusions later.
Those of you familiar with my newsletters might see it as a TudoRama teaser, setting the questions
What sort of work relationship has developed between Kenneth and Barbie?
What more general ideas about team development can you relate to the case?
What unmentioned factors might be influencing the work performances of Kenneth and Barbie?
Who would you rather work with in your own life, Kenneth or Barbie?

And for the moment, I leave you to decide the answers. For serious study see

The Sociology of Gaslighting, by Professor Paige Sweet of the University of Harvard
American Sociological Review 84(5), 851-875.

Rickards, T and Moger S.T., (1994) Felix and Oscar Revisited: An Exploration of the Dynamics of a Real-Life Odd Couple Work Relationship, J Applied Behavioural Science, vol 30, No 1, 108-133

The Sociology of Gaslighting, by Professor Paige Sweet of the University of Harvard

American Sociological Review 84(5), 851-875.

Corresponding Author:
Paige L. Sweet, Harvard University, 1730 Cambridge Street, CGIS S410, Cambridge, MA 02138
Email: paigesweet@fas.harvard.edu

Amabile, T. M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity: A componential conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(2), 357–376. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.

Rickards, T and Moger S.T., (1994) Felix and Oscar Revisited: An Exploration of the Dynamics of a Real-Life Odd Couple Work Relationship, J Applied Behavioural Science.