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Transactional Analysis Applied Organisational Behaviour PDF
Transactional Analysis Applied Organisational Behaviour PDF
Transactional Analysis Applied Organisational Behaviour PDF
Assignment One
Transactional Analysis:
Ego States and The Four Life Positions
BY
La Chery - MFM/EXC/JJ-16/07
Pranpratim Ron Bhuyan - MFM/15/40
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Acknowledgement
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Sanjeev Malage for his continuous
support, his patience, motivation, and immense knowledge.
His guidance helped us in all the time of research and writing of this report.
We would also like to thank our fellow classmates for the stimulating discussions,
brainstorming sessions and the sleepless nights we were working together to meet the
deadlines.
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Executive Summary
The report starts with a brief introduction into the concept of Transactional Analysis
followed by a detailed account of the Structural and the Functional Ego States in
individuals. Here, all the ego-states namely Parent, Adult and Child and their respective
sub-compartments have been explored. For each of the ego-state, a short explanation
followed by its consequences has been submitted.
Following that, a brief account has been presented on the Contamination and
Exclusion of Ego-States, with sections on Parent Contaminated Adult, Parent
Contaminated Adult with Blocked Out Child, Child Contaminated Adult with Blocked Out
Parent and Blocked out or Decommissioned Adult.
The report then sheds light upon the subject of Analysis the Transactions by
analysing the nature of Complimentary Transactions, Crossed Transactions and Ulterior
Transactions, with suitable examples from the workplace.
The report then finally, lays a concise account on the concept of the Four Life
Positions suggested by Eric Berne (Im OK, Youre OK, Im OK, Youre not OK, Im not OK,
Youre OK and Im not OK, Youre not OK)
The report concludes with a closing statement on the implications and importance
of Transactional Analysis in the current organisational setting and how it is beneficial in
various walks of life.
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Table of Contents
Declaration .................................................................................................................... 02
Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................ 03
Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 33
Bibliography & References ......................................................................................... 34
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List of Illustrations and Tables
Illustrations
Illustration 01: Structural Ego State Model ................................................................... 09
Illustration 02: Functional Ego State Model.................................................................. 10
Illustration 03: Dominant Critical Parent Ego State ...................................................... 11
Illustration 04: Dominant Nurturing Parent Ego State .................................................. 12
Illustration 05: Adult Ego State .................................................................................... 13
Illustration 06: Dominant Natural Child Ego State ........................................................ 15
Illustration 07: Dominant Adapted Child Ego State ..................................................... 17
Illustration 08: Sub-compartments of Adapted Child Ego State ................................... 17
Illustration 09: Ideal P-A-C Ego States ......................................................................... 19
Illustration 10: Double Contamination ......................................................................... 19
Illustration 11: Parent Contaminated Adult with Blocked out Child ............................... 20
Illustration 12: Child Contaminated Adult with Blocked out Parent .............................. 21
Illustration 13: Blocked out or Decommissioned Adult ................................................ 22
Illustration 14: Ideal Transaction (Adult to Adult) ......................................................... 23
Illustration 15: Adult to Adult Transactions .................................................................. 24
Illustration 16: Parent to Parent Transactions .............................................................. 24
Illustration 17: Child to Child Transactions .................................................................. 24
Illustration 18: Parent to Child Transactions ................................................................ 24
Illustration 19: Child to Parent Transactions ................................................................ 24
Illustration 20: Different types of Crossed Transactions .............................................. 25
Illustration 21: Duplex Ulterior Transaction .................................................................. 26
Illustration 22: Angular Ulterior Transaction ................................................................ 27
Illustration 23: The OK Corral (Four Life Positions)...................................................... 28
Tables
Table 01: Critical Parent Ego State Characteristics ...................................................... 11
Table 02: Nurturing Parent Ego State Characteristics .................................................. 12
Table 03: Adult Ego State Characteristics ..................................................................... 14
Table 04: Natural Child Ego State Characteristics ......................................................... 16
Table 05: Adapted Child Ego State Characteristics ...................................................... 18
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Assignment Brief
Additional Information
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Chapter 1
Transactional Analysis (TA)
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Chapter 2
Ego States: Structural Ego States
Ego states are a set of related behaviours, thoughts and feelings that make up our
personality at a given time.
Illustration 01
Structural Ego State Model
When someone is thinking, feeling and behaving in a way copied from their parent,
or parental figures, they are said to be in their Parent ego state. A person thinking, feeling
and behaving as they did during their childhood is said to be in their Child ego state.
Behaviour, thoughts and feelings which are here and now responses are said to those of
the Adult ego state. Putting the three ego-states together, we get the three-part ego-state
model of personality (Illustration 01).
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Chapter 3
Ego States: Functional Ego States
The three basic functional ego states are the fundamental manifestations of the
personality that are useful for helping a person live a full life in all senses. In general, they
fulfil adaptive functions and are used above all for survival, but also to live. Each of the
three ego states are functionally manifested in their own way. It is simple; people
essentially need to be able to be cared for, to be able to care for others and to be able to
individuate.
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3.1 The Critical/Controlling Parent
Illustration 03
The Critical Parent Ego State map contains all Dominant Critical Parent Ego State
the critical parental messages given to the child. The
younger a child is, the more receptive they are to these messages. The OK Controlling
Parent is generally protective, sets limits and defines value and reality. While on the other
hand, the Not-OK Controlling Parent can be critical, punishing, discounting and
persecutory.
The Critical Parent (CP) makes people feel that they, not just their behaviour, are
Not OK. Thus, CP behaviour attacks peoples personalities as also their behaviours. When
people are in their Critical Parent ego-state, they are very evaluative and judgemental.
They are always ready to respond with a should or ought to almost anything people tell
them. These people are very dogmatic and controlling.
Typical characteristics of a Critical Parent Ego State can be observed in the table below.
Table 01
Critical Parent Ego State Characteristics
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3.2 The Nurturing Parent
The Nurturing Parent (NP) is that part of the person that is understanding and
caring about other people. The behaviour is loving and warm. It protects and nurtures. It
gives advice and guidance. It is encouraging and supporting. While behaviour from NP
may set limits on and provide direction for peoples behaviour, it will not put these people
down and make them feel Not Ok as individuals.
Every individual should update his Parent ego-state by retaining some and rejecting
some other values. If individuals do not update their parent, they may be carrying some
junk in it which consists of things like prejudices and this certainly affects the capacity for
making probability judgements on the basis of reality.
The Adult ego state develops after both the Parent and the Child ego states have
began to develop. This state begins to develop from about ten months of age. The function
of this state is to update both Parent data and Child data by continuous examination of
these data with respect to actual reality. Thus only those taught concepts and felt-concepts
applicable and appropriate to the present are accepted. Thus the Adult state is said to be
the "thought-concepts" of life.
This ego state is not related to the persons age, more to a developmental state. It
is a logical, rational way of contacting reality. The Adult ego state is principally concerned
with transforming stimuli into pieces of information and processing and filing that
information on the basis of previous experience (Berne, 1961).
Recordings of data
acquired through
Adult Thoughtconcept of life
exploration and
testing
Illustration 05
Adult Ego State
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3.3.2 Consequences of an Adult ego-state
Individuals operating from the Adult ego-state take the emotional content of their
Child ego state and the value laden content of their Parent ego-state and check them out
in the reality of the external world. Adult evokes behaviour that would be described simply
as logical, reasonable, rational, unemotional, factual and calculating. It tries to upgrade
decisions by seeking facts, processing data, estimating probabilities and holding factual
discussions. Individuals behaving from their Adult ego-state are examining alternatives,
probabilities and values prior to engaging in behaviour. Adult behaviour generates mutual
respect. Adult ego-state can be identifies by verbal and physical signs which include
thoughtful concentration and factual discussion.
The process of Adult formation goes through ones own experience and continually
updating parental injunctions by verifying. Sometimes parents do not practise what they
preach and show inconsistency in their actions. For example, parents teach their kids
never to tell lies but they may at the same time ask their children to respond the phone call
saying, tell them Im not at home. The childs Adult observes this discrepancy and
determines that the parental teaching is Not Ok as far as the lies are concerned. The Adult
then updates the Parent data to determine what is valid and what is not.
The Adult ego-state is that part of the individual which is reality oriented and
problem-centred. It attempts to take lifes experience as data and rationally deal with them.
Table 03
Adult Ego State Characteristics
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3.4 The Natural Child
Child ego states reflects early childhood conditions and experiences perceived by
individuals in their early years of life in the process of growing up. The child is inept,
clumsy, without understanding and ability to construct meanings. It takes life as it comes in
stride. Child ego-state contains the early recordings of imagination, spontaneity and
excitement. it includes feelings of joy and love as well as feelings of frustration,
inadequacy and helplessness.
Natural Child is the Free child or the uninhibited, joyful and spontaneous part in
ones personality. It represents the way one is when one is born-natural, loving, carefree,
dependent and trusting. This part of ones personality knows no rules and consequently
operates without regard for others and is unconcerned about their reactions.
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3.4.2 Consequences of a Natural Child ego-state
The Natural Child ego state represents a playful and spontaneous part of human
behaviour, from infancy to an old age. The infant may receive enjoyment from playing with
a spoon and the adult may find enjoyment from golfing or cruising in the Andamans. A
person may be 5 years old or 50 years old but throughout life he or she plays or can be
playful or thinks playfully and joyously. That is the Natural Child doing its thing.
Table 04
Natural Child Ego State Characteristics
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3.5 The Adapted Child
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3.5..2 Consequences of a Adapted Child ego-state
Adapted Child when overly inhabited, often becomes the troubled part of
personality. Rebellious Child (RC) is characterised by negativity and rebellion. Others feel
they get attention when they are naughty. Such individuals carry over this behaviour to
their organisations and constantly fight and rebel against bosses and organisations. RC
experiences anger, fear and frustration.
Another functional aspect of the Child ego-state is the Little Professor which is the
intuitive part of ones personality that senses things about other people in a flash. it gives
very brilliant and non-logical insights for problem solving.
Table 05
Adapted Child Ego State Characteristics
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Chapter 4
Contaminated and Excluded Ego States
In an ideal situation, the P-A-C circles are shown as separate, just touching each
other (Figure 09). In the phenomenon of contamination, the circles overlap (Figure 10).
P
P
Prejudice
A A
Delusion
C
C
Illustration 10
Double Contamination
Illustration 09
Giving rise to Prejudice & Delusion
Ideal P-A-C ego-states
The individual mind becomes biased or prejudiced when his curious enquiries do
not get answered. Such individuals tend to believe parental teachings more than their own
eyes and ears since they find it safe to rely on the security-giving parents. Unquestioned
obedience to parental authority may sometimes lead to Parent-contaminated Adult giving
rise to prejudice.
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4.2 Parent Contaminated Adult with a blocked out Child
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4.3 Child Contaminated Adult with a blocked out Parent
When the individual excludes the painful Parent, he also excludes whatever little
good there may be in the Parent. This individual does not have available to his current
transactions any tapes which supply data related with social control, appropriate lists of
dos and donts or should and shouldnt. Thus he has no cultural norms to refer to,
neither has he any conscience left in his personality that can pinch him for any of his
misbehaviour and wrong-doings. When the Parent is being blocked-out, no amount of
Parent beating on his Child can create any feelings of shame, remorse, embarrassment or
guilt in him and the situation then becomes worse. This is typical of the psychopath.
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4.4 Blocked out or Decommissioned Adult
Illustration 13
Blocked out or
Decommissioned Adult
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Chapter 5
Analysing Transactions
Transactional analysis is related with the way in which individuals interact with each
other. It explains the mechanism that takes place when people are having conversation or
are trying to exchange their thoughts, feelings and ideas with each other. Thus, TA
essentially refers to the analysis of interactions between people. Transactional Analysis
involves the study of the social transactions between people and it deals with determining
which part of the multiple-natures individual is being activated, Parent, Adult or Child.
P P
S
A A
C C
Illustration 14
Adult to Adult Transactions
Ideal Transaction
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5.1.1 Instances of Complimentary Transactions in an Organisation
Illustration 17
S: Lets role-play this situation. Ill be manager and you
be my worker
R: Oh no! I want to be the manager.
Illustration 18
Illustration 19
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5.2 Crossed Transactions
The lines of stimulus and response cross each other in case of crossed
transactions. Whenever the stimulus and response cross on the P-A-C transactional
diagram, communication stops. Transactions become uncomplimentary. The message
sent by one ego-state is responded to form an incompatible, unexpected ego-state of
another person. The inappropriate response generates feelings of hurt and ager and the
individuals, instead of coming closer, divert from each other. Crossed transactions are the
source of much interpersonal conflict in an organisation. Crossed transactions have many
possible dysfunctional consequences for the organisation.
Illustration 20
Different types of Crossed Transactions
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5.3 Ulterior Transactions
The ulterior type of transactions are most complex because the communication has
double meaning as more than one ego-states are involved in them. When ulterior
message is sent, the literal and intent meanings are not one and the same. Ulterior
message if often disguised in a socially acceptable way. On the surface level, the
communication has a clear Adult message, whereas it carries a hidden message on the
psychological level. Ulterior transactions like crossed transactions are undesirable as they
damage interpersonal relationships. Ulterior transactions can be of two types:
5.3.1 Duplex
In the duplex type of ulterior transactions, four ego-states are involved in sending
and receiving the message rather than two ego-states. Some instances are:
Illustration 21
Duplex Ulterior Transaction
S: Do you know what time it is? (Are you aware, you are late!)
R: Its half past ten (I really dont care!)
S: Come to my office and we shall find a solution for your problem. (You should never
come whining to me with your troubles. Find an answer yourself.)
R: Yes Sir, Ill have to. (I know Im getting paid for it, but I am just helpless)
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5.3.2 Angular
In angular type both social and psychological level transactions arise from the adult
ego-state of the sender. In marketing, salesmen often tend to use angular transactions to
promote sales. While giving rational information about the various products they also show
some emotion to initiate buying. In angular transaction, the angling of the communication
is always deliberate and in Adult awareness. It is important to note the use of broken line
to signify the psychological ulterior covert nature of communication at this level. Since
human tendency is to react to what is unexpressed, the angular type of transaction can be
used extensively by any one wishing to persuade or convince others. An instance can be:
S: This pen set is the best but it costs a little more than what you can afford (See its good
but you cant have it)
R: Thats the one Ill take (Ill show you what I can afford and what I cant! )
Illustration 22
Different types of
Angular Ulterior Transaction
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Chapter 6
Four Life Positions
The concept of life positions is another basic idea from transactional analysis
theory. Life positions works with the assumption that we choose very early on in our life,
before age 2, a basic stance towards ourselves and other people. It represents the
fundamental stance a person takes about the essential value he or she perceives in him or
herself and other people. Once a child has taken up a favorite position, they're likely to
construct the rest of their world view to match that life position. One could therefore also
see a life position as one of the first script decisions a person makes.
Based on the messages received and the decisions made, a young child develops
a basic life position. We call these existential positions because they influence how we
view our own and others existence. The following diagram is called "The OK Corral" by
Franklin Ernst. It shows the four basic life positions we can assume:
Illustration 23
The OK Corral (Four Life Positions)
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6.1 Im OK, Youre OK
Most babies are born in the position of feeling OK about themselves and OK about
others. If things go well they will be able to maintain that position throughout their life. This
helps form the basis for a healthy life script.
A person accepts others in spite of their shortcomings and feels OK about himself
despite not being perfect.
Well thought of.
Makes good impression
Able to give orders forcefully.
Self respecting.
Independent- able to take care of self.
Can be strict if necessary.
Firm but just.
Appreciative.
Cooperative.
Friendly.
Affectionate.
Understanding.
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6.2 Im OK, Youre not OK
If a child is treated badly or abused, this may result in his or her feeling helpless,
powerless, and angry, and he or she may move into a position of believing I'm OK, You're
Not OK. Such an individual may build a life on this angry position and continually prove to
himself or herself that others are not OK. This position involves a lack of trust in others and
makes it difficult for the person to form and maintain intimate friendships or relationships.
Comes over as distrustful, arrogant superior. Thinks that others are inferiors.
Can complain if necessary.
Able to give orders forcefully.
Independent.
Can be indifferent to others.
Can be strict if necessary, critical of others.
Businesslike.
Hard to impress.
Always gives advice.
Bossy.
Dominating.
Impatient with others mistakes.
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6.3 Im not OK, Youre OK
If a child is not well cared for and receives script messages that decrease his or her
sense of self-worth, that child might move into the position of feeling like he or she is not
OK while others are OK. 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.
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6.4 Im not OK, Youre not OK
When things really go wrong during childhood, a person might end up in the
existential position of I'm Not OK, You're Not OK. 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.
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Conclusion
Used with individuals, couples and groups, TA is effective with a wide range of
therapeutic issues. Unique in the depth of its theory, this process allows for the
individuality of both therapist and client.
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Bibliography and References
Berne, E. (1964). Games people play; the psychology of human relationships. New York:
Grove Press.
Goldratt, E. M., & Cox, J. (1992). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement. Great
Barrington, MA: North River Press.
Covey, S. R. (2005). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Personal workbook. London:
Simon & Schuster.
Woollams, S., & Brown, M. (1978). Transactional analysis. Dexter, MI: Huron Valley
Institute Press.
Hargaden, H., & Sills, C. (2002). Transactional analysis: A relational perspective. Hove,
East Sussex: Brunner-Routledge.
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