TRANSACTIONAL

ANALYSIS

GREESHMA. T
S4 MSW
- TA was formulated by ERIC BERNE (1960s)

- Berne’s Games People Play(1964) & Thomas Harris’s I’m OK

You’re OK(1947)

- Eric Berne was born n 1910 in Montreal, Canada

- TA is a model of psychotherapy and theory of personality
which integrates psychoanalytic concept with humanistic
philosophy
HISTORY
1955-1962 – First Phase
Developed Concept Of Ego States.

1962-1966 - Second Phase

he concentrated on ideas about games and transactions.

1966-1970- Third Phase

He emphasized the reasons some individuals choose to play certain games in
life.

1970 – Onwards
He emphasised action and energy distribution
 View Of Human Nature
- TA is an optimistic theory
- Its basic assumption is the people can change despite any
unfortunate events of the past
- TA is also anti- anti deterministic, believing that people
have choices in their lives
 BASIC PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS

1. People are born OK: psychological disturbances is acquired.

2. People are capable of thinking independently(unless

severely brain damaged)

3. People are responsible for the decision they made, and

their consequences.
1. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS – understanding what is
happening within the individual.

2. TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS – Describing what happens

between two or more people.

3. GAME ANALYSIS – understanding transactions between

individuals that lead to bad feelings.

4. SCRIPT ANALYSIS – understanding the life plan that an

individual is following
 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Berne defines an ego state is “a consistent pattern of

feeling and experience directly related to a
corresponding consistent pattern of behavior”

Ego States are dynamic aspects of personality

Exteropsyche - Parent
Neopsyche - Adult
Archeopsyche - Child
 Typical Behaviors

PARENT ADULT CHILD

Advising Fact Finding Laughing

Criticizing Questioning Crying

Ordering Analyzing Sulking

Telling Problem Solving Being Frightened

Fault Finding Helping Playing

Cooperating Enjoying
Moralizing
Planning Dancing
Scolding
Coordinating Curiosity
Nurturing
Scheduling
Caring Obeying
Thinking
Loving Dependent
 1.CHILD EGO STATE
• First ego state to develop is the child, which is that part of
personality characterized by child like behaviours and
feelings.

• The child ego state is the archive of a person’s total life

experience to date, moments of which may be evoked and re-
experienced in the present.

• When we are in the child ego state we act like child we

once were.

• The ego states are fully experienced states of being, not just
roles.
3 Types -

1. Natural Child - When the child is hateful or loving,

impulsive, spontaneous or playful, self centered.

2. Adapted Child – the complaining part of personality

that confirms wishes and demands of parental figures

3. Little Professor – when it is thoughtful, creative or

imaginative
 2. PARENTAL EGO STATE
• The parent ego state incorporates the attitudes and
behaviours(the don’ts, should, and ought) of parental
figures

• In the parent ego state ‘introjected’ parent figures from the

past are evoked in the present. They are the beliefs,
mannerisms and emotional responses of an actual parent
from the past

• Outwardly the messages are delivered through prejudice,

criticism, and nurturing behaviour
Parental Ego State:

1. Nurturing Parent – who comforts praises and aids

others.

2. Critical Parent – who finds fault, displays

prejudices, disapproves and prevents others from
feeling good about themselves.
 3. ADULT EGO STATE

• The adult ego state is the congruent, aware person attuned to

themselves and their environment , who responds congruently without
the contamination of parental prejudice or childhood fantasy

• When the adult ego is in control, people behave in

a thinking, rational, calculating, factual, unemotional manner.

• The adult gathers information, reasons things out, estimate

probabilities and makes decision with cool and calm behavior.

• When communicating in the adult ego state, you avoid becoming the
victim of the other person by controlling your response to the
situation.
• Generally, the most effective behavior, human relations,
and performance come from the adult ego state.

• When interacting with others, you should

be aware of their ego state.
 BASIC HUMAN EGO STATES
(PERSONALITY STATES)

THREE BASIC FURTHER BREAKDOWN OF EGO STATES

EGO STATES LECTURING, CRITICIZING, MANY “OUGHTS”,
“SHOULD” &”DON’TS”
CRITICAL PARENT
P
(PARENT) NURTURING PARENT CONSOLING, “TAKING CARE” OF OTHERS,
SYMPATHY

A
OBJECTIVE, RATIONAL, ORIENTED TOWARD
(ADULT) ADULT PROBLEM SOLVING, DE-EMPHASIZE EMOTION

MODIFIED BEHAVIOUR TO CONFORM TO

ADULT EXPECTATIONS, MANUPULATIVE,
ADAPTED CHILD SUMBISSIVE
C
(CHILD) NATURAL CHILD
PLAYFUL, IMPULSIVE, NATULRALLY CURIOUS
&CREATIVE, FUN LOVING, REBELLIOUS

16
 TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

• These are the basic unit of communication.

• Transactions occur when a person relates to another

person

• Each transaction is made up of a stimulus and a response

• Within ego states there are three different types of trans

action: complementary, crossed, and ulterior
• Two basic levels of transactions:
1. Social level – which is observable
2. Psychological level – which is sensed.

A basic rule of communication is that when transactions are

made at both levels, the outcome will be
determined at the ulterior, psychological level
 1.Complementary Transaction

• Both persons are operating either from the same ego state
or from complementary ego states.
• Responses are predictable and appropriate.
 Crossed Transaction

• An inappropriate ego state is activated, producing an

unexpected response.
• Crossed transactions hurt.
• Persons tend to withdraw from each other or switch topics
 Ulterior Transaction

• Transaction is one in which two ego states operates

simultaneously and one message disguises the other.
• They appear to be complementary and socially acceptable
even though they are not
 GAME ANALYSIS
• Games are ulteriorly motivated transactions that appear
complementary on the surface but end in bad feelings.

• Games are a series of transactions with a familiar pattern and

predictable outcome.

• Those who are involved start out in one of three classical game
roles : - Persecutor, Rescuer or Victim.

• A game is characterized by the sudden switching of roles and

the collection of a payoff.
 STROKE
• These games are played outside awareness as a means of
generating familiar, often negative, unit of recognition or
‘stroke’

• Stroke – the fundamental unit of social action

• A stroke is a unit of recognition, when one person recognizes
another person either verbally or non verbally.

• In infancy strokes are essential for survival and comes mainly

from close physical contact with a primary parent figures..
• Later strokes are symbolized by word and gestures.
• Spitz observed that infants deprived of handling – in other
words, not receiving any strokes – were more prone to
emotional and physical difficulties.

• Berne took Spitz’s observations of these infants and developed

theories about the needs of adults for strokes.

• Berne postulated that adults need physical contact just like

infants, but have learned to substitute other types of recognition
instead of physical stimulation.

• Berne also reasoned that any stroke, be it positive or negative, is

better than no strokes at all.
 SCRIPT ANALYSIS
• Everyone makes a life script or life plan, early in childhood, by
the age of five.

• Life scripts is constructed in infancy in response to parental

influence.

• The scripts passes from consciousness but it is often faithfully

acted out.

• Infants, depends on parental figures for survival, reach

conclusions based on themselves and others on the basis of
perceived messages from parents and adapt accordingly .
• Positive messages given to a child function as permissions
and do not limit people in any way.

• Negative messages or injunctions, are more powerful and

may become the basis for destructive scripts

• The script decisions in response to these messages reflect a

fundamental belief about the self in relation to others.
Life Positions
1. I’m ok
2. You’re ok
3. I’m not ok
4. You’re not ok
 ROLE OF THERAPIST
• Initial role of being a teacher

• TA uses treatment contracts, the therapist make contracts

with the client.
 GOALS
1. TA focuses on helping clients transform themselves from
‘frogs’ into ‘princes’ and ‘princesses’.

2. It is emphasis is on attaining health and autonomy.

3. Help individuals to identify and restore distorted or

damaged ego states

4. The major emphasis of TA is on learning about the self

in order to decide who one wishes to become
TECHNIQUES
1. TREATMENT CONTRACT
A specific , concrete contract that emphasizes agreed upon
responsibilities for both counsellor and client

2. INTERROGATION
Speaking to a client’s adult state until the counsellor receives an
adult response

3. EXPLANATION
Occurs on an adult to adult ego state level. The counsellor
teaches the client about some aspects of TA
4. ILLUSTRATION
Enlightens the client or elaborate a point

5. CONFIRMATION
Used when previously modified behaviour occurs again and the
therapist points this out to the client

6. INTERPRETATION
Involves the therapist’s explanation to the child ego state of the
client the reasons for the client’s behaviour
7. CRYSTALLIZATION
Consists of an adults - to – adults transactions in which the
client comes to an awareness that individuals game playing
may be given up if so desired

8. CONFRONTATION
It involves the therapist’s pointing out inconsistencies in the
client’s behaviour or speech
 STAGES OF TREATMENT

1st Stage
Establishing a work alliance, mapping the nature problem and
negotiating a preliminary contract

2nd Stage
De-contamination of the adult ego state

 The therapist help the client to identify the parental

prejudices and childhood fantasies that they have used to
distort reality and reign force their life script
3rd Stage
De- confusing the child ego state and developing an internal
nurturing parent

 It is important to establish that they have decided to keep

themselves safe, act safely with others and stay touch with the
reality

4th Stage
Integration of new decisions and bringing to a close therapeutic
relation ship.

 This stage often involves the client reviewing other relationships,

discovering disowned aspects of their authentic self and
experimenting with new ways of being
Transactional Analysis applies to different
levels:-

1. The clinical side of therapy.

2. The analysis of personality.
3. The interpersonal communication.
4. The group dynamics.
5. The organization analysis (organizational theory of Eric
Berne).
6. Used in the domains of education, consulting, training,
coaching, recruitment, skills assessment and organization.
Transactional Analysis Provides Simple Yet
Powerful Ways To:

1. Increase understanding in communication with others

2. Deal with stress and change healthily
3. Handle and resolve conflict
4. Understand human behaviour
5. Gain autonomy and build self-esteem
 STRENGTHS

1. The approach uses terms that are easily understood and

clearly defined.

2. The approach is easily and collectively companied with

other more action – oriented approaches

3. The approach puts the responsibility of change on the

client

4. The approach is goal- directed

 CRITICISMS

1. The approach has been criticized for its primary cognitive

orientation.

2. The approach is criticized for its simplicity, structure, and

popularity

3. The research behind the approach is relatively weak.

4. The approach has not developed much after Berne’s

death in 1970
 SUMMARY

HISTORY
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
ROLE OF THERAPIST
GOALS
TECHNIQUES
TREATMENT
APPLICATION
STRENGTHS
CRITICISMS
Reference
1. www.ericberne.com/transactional-analysis/ accessed
date:28/2/16 Time: 2.30 pm
2. www.counselling-directory.org.uk/transactional analysis.html
date: 28/2/16 Time: 4.00 pm
3. http://www.transactional-analysis.info/menuglossaire.html
Date: 28/2/16 Time: 4.30 pm

4. Stein M Samuel. Essentials of psychotherapy. Oxford Auckland

Boston Johannesburg Melbourne. New Delhi.
5. Gladding ,T. Samuel Counseling A Comprehensive Profession.
Indian edition published by Dorling Kindersley India pvt ltd
2009