TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

* A method of analysing and understanding behavior. The study of social transactions between
people . Developed by Eric Berne in 1950s.

* OBJECTIVE OF TA : To provide better understanding of how people relate to one another, so they
may develop improved communication and human relationship.

* EGO-STATES: Two people interact with each other from one of the three psychological positions,
known as Ego-states. It is a consistent pattern of feelings and experiences relating to corresponding
consistent pattern of behavior.

* These ego states are called Parent, Adult and Child, and a person can operate (communicate or act)
from any one of the three.

* PARENT EGO STATE

* It incorporates the attitude and behaviour of all emotionally significant people who serve as parent
figure when the individual was a child. The value and behaviour of these people were recorded in
mind of the individual and these becomes the basic values of personality. Person with this ego state
may be protective, controlling, nurturing, critical or instructive.

* Nurturing and Critical Parent Ego States

* Nurturing Ego state reflects nurturing behaviour not only toward children but also to other people in
interaction. Critical Ego state shows critical and evaluative behaviour. Each individual has unique
parent ego state :a mixture of helpfulness and hurtfulness.

* REPRESENTATION OF PARENT EGO STATE (CRITICAL PARENT)

* You should not do that.

* It was your carelessness.

* That was a bad mistake.

* It’s wrong

* You should

* You must

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* REPRESENTATION OF PARENT EGO STATE (NURTURING PARENT)

* Well done! That was a fine piece of work.

* You have my wholehearted support in the matter.

* ADULT EGO STATE

* It appears as rational, calculating, factual and unemotional behaviour.

* It is based on rationality.

* It is characterised by logical reasoning and thinking.

* REPRESENTATIONS OF ADULT EGO STATE

* Who? What? Why?

* Can we find out?

* What are the options?

* Let’s look at it again

* CHILD EGO STATE

* It reflects the emotions developed in response to childhood experiences. It may be spontaneous,

dependent, creative or rebellious. It desires approval from others and immediate rewards.

* CHILD EGO STATES: NATURAL AND ADAPTED

* Natural child is the free child or the uninhibited, joyful and spontaneous part in one’s personality.

* Adapted child is fashioned to parental demands.

* Two types of AC: Compliant child and Rebellious child.

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* Compliant Child: Says “thank you”, “sorry” at appropriate times, does not make personal
comments about others in public. Rebellious child is charasterised by negativism, tries to get
attention through negative behaviour.

* A HEALTHY PERSONALITY: All people behave from these three ego states at different times

* A healthy person has a personality that maintain balance among Nurturing Parent, Adult and
Natural Child

* TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS

* Complementary: The message transmitted from one ego-state elicits an appropriate response from
the proper ego state of the other individual.

* Crossed:The message sent by one ego-state is responded to from an incompatible, unexpected ego
state of the other individual.

* Ulterior: Ulterior communication has double meaning. Literal and intent meaning are not same.

* COMPLEMENTARY TRANSACTION

* CHILD-PARENT TRANSACTION

* Sender: I’m afraid, we have to rewrite the initial part in that report.

* Responder: Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.

* Adult-Adult Transaction

* S- Do you know where the project report is?

* R- It seems to be misplaced. My secretary is searching for it now.

* CROSSED TRANSACTION

* Sender: What is the time?

* Receiver: Why don’t you use your own watch?

* ULTERIOR TRANSACTION

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* FATHER: Do you know what time is it? (Are you aware, you’re late?)

* SON: It’s half past ten (I really don’t care!)

* LIFE POSITIONS

* The concept of Life Positions is developed by Thomas Harris.

* A life-position is the combination of assumptions about one’s self-worth and the worth of
significant people in the environment. TA believes that an individual’s life position at any given
time expresses in some manner just how that individual is relating to others in terms of thinking,
feeling and behaving.

* LIFE-POSITIONS
I’m not OK, You’re OK- Person feels powerlessness in comparison to others. Grumbles about something
or the other. It is based on one’s feelings about one-self typically sadness, inadequacy, inferiority,
stupidity, or a sense of being ugly.

I’m not OK, You’re not OK – A desperate life-position and is accompanied by feelings of confusion or
aimlessness and pointlessness. Managers do not make decisions in time, use put down strokes, provokes
others to give them negative strokes. In this life position, people feel that life is not worthy living and they
lose interest in life.

I’m OK, You’re not OK - Distrustful Life Position. This position is taken by people who feel victimised
or persecuted. They blame others for their miseries. The individuals with rebellious child ego and highly
activated critical parent ego state. Characterised by feeling of anger, fury and hostility. Behaviour to
others is characterised by such feelings as hatred, abuse and disregard.

I’m OK, You’re OK – A rationally chosen life-position. People in this life-position feel confident about
themselves and have trust and confidence in others. They are optimistic and happy about work and life.
They exchange strokes freely with others. They accept the significance of other people.

* LIFE-POSITIONS: An individual’s life-position is established at about 3 or 4 years old age. One of

the four positions dominates each individual’s life. The desirable position is I’m OK, You’re OK.
Mature individuals move into this life-position through psychological understanding and conscious
choice.

* STROKING

* It is as an act of physical, verbal or visual recognition of another’s presence.Every individual has

the need to be recognised and praised by others. During transaction strokes are being
exchanged.Two types of strokes: positive and negative.

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* Positive Stroke: A stroke that makes one feel OK and creates pleasant feelings. Words of praise and
appreciation, affection, pat on the back etc. are positive strokes. Complimentary remarks about our
work, our appearance, our family, our hobby all are positive strokes.

* Negative Stroke: A stoke that creates unpleasant feelings. Examples – Criticism, hating, scolding.

* An individual requires positive strokes. Usually those individuals who learn a negative stroking
pattern in their childhood , tend to seek when positive strokes are not available. Individuals may
seek negative strokes also for such reasons as guilt or low self-image. We must all get a minimal
level of attention from others if we are to function as healthy individuals.

* PSYCHOLOGICAL GAMES

* Psychological games are special transactions programmed by the child to deal with its burden of
NOT OK feelings. Games refer to recurring transactions. They have a concealed motivation.

* ROLES IN THE GAME PLAYING

* Persecutors: Make unrealistic rules, enforce rules in cruel ways, and acts from the negative aspects
of critical parent ego state trying to control others.

* Some typical games:

* “See what you made me to do”

* “If it weren’t for you”

* Victims: Provokes others to put him down, use him, and hurt him; who send messages of
helplessness, who forgets conveniently, and who acts confused.

* Some typical games:

* “Poor me”: The whole world is against me. See how they are taking advantage of me.

* “Wooden leg”: I could have done many things, but for this wooden legs!

* Rescuers: Offers helpfulness to keep others dependent on him, does not really help others and may
actually dislike helping.

* Some typical games:

* “I’m only trying to help you”

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* “What would you do without me”

* GAMES ARE USEFUL -

* To an individual

* For giving and receiving strokes.

* In strengthening life-positions.

* In avoiding responsibility, competition, risks, and problems.

* In avoiding intimacy or controlling it.

EFFECTS OF GAME-PLAYING

* Most games cause trouble. Games end in predictable negative pay-off.

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* HOW TO STOP GAME-PLAYING?

* Avoidance of acting roles involved in games, particularly victim roles.

* Avoidance of putting other people down.

* Avoidance of putting oneself down.

* Giving positive strokes as against negative strokes.

* Structuring most of life’s time in activities and intimacy.