TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

•Transactional analysis (TA), is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy.

•It is described as integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive approaches.

• TA was first developed by Canadian-born US psychiatrist Eric Berne, starting in the late 1950s and it is

a widely recognized form of modern psychology.•It is a theory for analysing human behavior and

communication.It is a model for explaining why and how people think, act and interact like they do.It is very useful in

studying various behaiour patterns and it is a social psychology and a method to improve communication.

The key aspects of TA are: 

• THE EGO STATES• An ego state is a set of related thoughts,

feelings, and behaviors in which part of an individual’s personality is manifested at a given time (Stewart & Joines, 1987)

• Each of our personalities is made up of various parts: the Parent, the Adult, and the Child ego states.. All transactional analysts work with ego states, which encompass important facets of the personality.

CHILD EGO STATE

• When people are in the Child ego state, for example, they sit, stand, speak, think, perceive, and feel as they did in childhood.

• Behavior of the Child is impulsive and stimulus-bound rather than mediated and delayed by reason. Throwing temper tantrums, being irresponsible, and engaging in wishful thinking or daydreams are some of the expressions of the Child. At the same time, the Child is the source of spontaneity, creativity, humor, and fun and is thought to be the best part of the personality, because it is the only part that can truly enjoy life.

The Child can be further differentiated into • Natural Child, which is the most emotional,

spontaneous, and powerful expression of a child

• Adapted Child, which is the more obedient child molded to parental demands.

• Little Professor, which is the inquisitive and intuitive child who acts like a precocious adult.

PARENT EGOSTATE

• The Parent ego state contains the values, morals, core beliefs, and behaviors incorporated from significant authority figures, primarily one’s parents.

• The Parent contains all the “shoulds” and “oughts” and other rules for living.

• We each have a “Nurturing Parent” and a “Critical Parent.

• The Critical Parent. (also sometimes called the Prejudiced Parent) includes part of our personality contains the prejudged thoughts,feelings and beliefs that we learned from our parents.

• The Nurturing Parent ego state includes the nurturing side and can be soft, loving, and permission giving. 

ADULT EGO STATE

• It is the  part of our personality that can process data accurately, that sees, hears, thinks, and can come up with solutions to problems based on the facts and not solely on our pre- judged thoughts or childlike emotions.

• This ego state gives a person a measure of objectivity. .

• The Adult is a gradually developed ego state that emerges as the person interacts with the physical and social environment over many years.

Examples for different egostates

• Critical Parent; Individual stands one hand on hip, one finger wagging toward the person being transacted with, sharp tone of voice saying 'You shouldn't do that!'

• Nurturing Parent; Individual stands leaning forward with one arm around the shoulder of the other individual, a gentle expression on their face, saying in a soft tone of voice 'Would you like me to help you with that?'

• Adult; Stands squarely facing another and asks 'What is the time?'

• Adapted Child - Head facing the floor, hands twisting in each other and says in a small voice 'Please can I have …'

• Free Child; Running wildly with arms outstretched shouting 'Yippee.'

TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS

• T.A. defines three types of transaction.

• A Complementary transaction in which the ego state addressed is the ego state that responds.

Crossed transaction

• A Crossed transaction is one in which the transactional vectors are not parallel. The ego-state being adressed is not the ego-states that responds.

Ulterior transaction

• In an Ulterior transaction two messages are conveyed at the same time. One of these is an overt or social-level message, the other a covert or psychological-level message.

LIFE POSITIONS

• Transactional analysis identifies four basic life positions, all of which are based on decisions made as a result of childhood experiences, and all of which determine how people feel about themselves and how they relate to others:

• 1. I’m OK—You’re OK. • 2. I’m OK—You’re not OK. • 3. I’m not OK—You’re OK. • 4. I’m not OK—You’re not OK.

I’m OK—You’re OK

• The I’m OK—You’re OK position is generally game-free.

• It is the belief that people have basic value, worth, and dignity as human beings. That people are OK is a statement of their essence, not necessarily their behavior. This position is characterized by an attitude of trust and openness, a willingness to give and take, and an acceptance of others as they are. People are close to themselves and to others. There are no losers, only winners.

I’m OK—You’re not OK

I’m OK—You’re not OK is the position of people who project their problems onto others and blame them, put them down, and criticize them. The games that reinforce thisposition involve a self-styled superior (the “I’m OK”) who projects anger, disgust, and scorn onto a designated inferior. This position involves a lack of trust in others and makes it difficult for the person to form and maintain intimate friendships or relationships.

I’m not OK—You’re OK

• I’m not OK—You’re OK is known as the depressive position and is characterized by feeling powerless in comparison with others.

• Typically such people serve others’ needs instead of their own and generally feel victimized.

• This position also leaves the person with difficulty feeling good about himself or herself both in the work arena and in forming trusting and lasting relationships.

I’m not OK—You’re not OK

The I’m not OK—You’re not OK quadrant is known as the position of futility and frustration ”

This is the life position of despair. The person in this position has great difficulty seeing the good in anyone and has trouble having any hope for the future.This self-destructive stance is characteristic of people who are unable to cope in the real world, and it may lead to extreme withdrawal, a return to infantile behavior, or violent behavior resulting in injury or death of themselves or others.

CONCLUSION

• When people interact in assertive or non-assertive ways, there is a social transaction in which one person responds to another. The study of these social transactions between people is called Transactional Analysis (TA).

• One useful approach is the classification of Parent, Adult and child ego states. An Adult-to-adult complementary transaction is especially desirable at work. Crossed transactions tend to cut off communication and produce conflicts. TA is essentially a learning experience through which an individual discovers how to sort out the data that goes into his decisions. This approach is useful to improve the interpersonal communication in organization and in social life.. TA gives employees fresh insights into their own personalities