A three-legged stool is a favourite metaphor for stability. It’s used by economists, business leaders and the US Republican Party, among others, to explain how they keep things on an even keel. And it’s the go-to metaphor for describing how lives fall apart when something important goes wrong. Most people would agree that if three supports are secure – work, emotional relationships and a home – they can cope with other tribulations.
The three-legged stool analogy doesn’t stand up. Firstly, it assumes that all three legs are the same length. Which for more and more people in the world, they aren’t.
Secondly, not everyone depends on the same three supports. And even those who can call on other resources when life throws a googly are aware that stress takes its toll on their physical and mental ability to cope.
