TRANSACTIONAL

ANALYSIS (TA)

Prepared and presented by

AJITH KUMAR

Transactional Analysis is a theory developed by Dr.

Eric Berne in the 1950s.
Transactional Analysis is a social psychology and a
method to improve communication.
Today Transactional Analysis is used with people of
all ages and stages of development in their various
social settings
psychotherapy, counselling, organization
development and education

From Psychoanalysis to Transactional Analysis

Id Pleasure Principle
Ego- Realistic Principle
Super Ego- Ethical Principle

Parent
Adult
Child

Transactional Analysis Basis

The theory outlines
how we have developed and treat ourselves
how we relate and communicate with others and
offers ways to enable us to change and grow.
Transactional Analysis is underpinned by the philosophy that:
people can change .
we all have a right to be in the world and be accepted
The aim is to increase personal autonomy, to support people
in developing their own personal and professional
philosophies and to enable optimum psychological health and
growth.

Transactional Analysis is a powerful tool in the hands

of
Organizational Development specialists to

build a common strategy with which to address the

particular needs of organizations and
to build a functional relationship and eliminate
dysfunctional organizational behaviors.

Transactional Analysis is truly an

international theory relating to a
diverse range of cultures.
Theoretical concepts within the
Transactional Analysis world are
constantly being challenged and
developed making it a rich dynamic
process.

Transactional Stimulus and

Response
A transaction is an exchange of communication
(verbal or non-verbal) between two people or
within oneself.
An analysis of these transactions, gives us clues
to our personality, and helps us change
ourselves.
The initiator of the transaction is called the
transactional stimulus.
The response of the respondent is called transactional
response.

Structural Analysis
The process of analyzing personality in terms
of ego states is called structural analysis.
An ego state is a consistant pattern of feeling
and experience directly related to a
corresponding consistant Pattern of behavior.
There are three egostates people consistently
useParent, Adult and Child

Parent Adult and Child Ego

States

Berne devised the concept of ego states to

help explain

how we are made up, and how we relate to

others.
These are drawn as three stacked circles
and they

are one of the building blocks of

Transactional

Analysis. They categorize the ways we

think, feel
and behave and are called Parent,
Adult, and

Child. Each ego state is given a capital

letter to denote
and children.

the difference between actual parents, adults

Ability to Assess the Ego State:

It is helpful to be able to assess or diagnose
which ego state in the structural model
somebody is in.
In this way we can respond appropriately as well
as ensure which mode we are addressing.

Parent Ego State :

Feelings, attitudes, values, prejudices and behaviors imbibed

from significant parental figures are attributed to the Parent
Ego state.
This is copied behavior; copied from our parents in early
childhood.
A person reacting from this ego state will either be too
judgmental, critical or nurturing and patronizing in most
situations. We tend to be biased and prejudiced in our
decisions.

Adult ego state

The Adult ego state is those feelings, attitudes,
behaviors related to current here and now reality.
We deal with things that are going on today in ways
that are not unhealthily influenced by our past.
Adult ego state functions like a computer, process
data, organize information, estimate probabilities,
make logical statements and provide nonjudgemental feedback.
When in our Adult we are able to see people as they
are, rather than what we project onto them.

Child ego state

The Child ego state is a set of behaviors,
thoughts & feelings which are remnants of a
persons past.
When a person is feeling extremely excited,
he is in his child ego state.
Also, when he is sulking, angry or cowering
with fear he is in the child ego state.
In such a state, thinking becomes
muddled and our decision-making ability sinks to
a very low level.

Functional Model of Egostates

Critical Parent Egostate manifest themselves as
disappointed, patronizing, controlling and critical.
Nurturing parent egostate Loving, caring,
counselling, concerned and understanding.

CP

NP

 Adapted Child acts loyal, withdraws, please others,

feels hurt, sulks and always feels one down
Rebellious Child disobeys, throws temper tantrums,
feels bored and distracts
Free Child tends to laugh, share fun, feel excited and
enthusiastic and expresses anger, sadness and fear
freely without any inhibition.

AC

FC

Three EGO States and the concept of Life:

Parent is our 'Taught' concept of life
Adult is our 'Thought' concept of life
Child is our 'Felt' concept of life

Parent
Adult
Child
Taught
concept
Thought
Concept
Felt Concept

Simple clues as to the Parent ego state

Physical - angry or impatient body-language and
expressions, finger-pointing, patronizing gestures,
Verbal - always, never, for once and for all, judgmental
words, critical words, patronizing language, posturing
language.

Simple clues as to the Child Ego State

Physical - emotionally sad expressions, despair,
temper tantrums, teasing, delight, laughter, speaking
behind hand, raising hand to speak, squirming and
giggling.
Verbal - baby talk, I wish, I dunno, I want, I'm gonna, I
don't care, oh no, not again, things never go right for
me,

Simple clues as to the Adult Ego State

Physical - attentive, interested, straight-forward,
tilted head, non-threatening and non-threatened.
Verbal - why, what, how, who, where and when, how
much, in what way, comparative expressions,
reasoned statements

Remember while identifying EGO States:

When you are trying to identify ego states:
Only 7% of meaning is in the words spoken.
To analyze a transaction you need to see and
feel the words.
38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that
the words are said).
55% is in facial expression

Ego Portraits
People have favorite, preferred ego state,
depicted by larger circle in a diagram
Parent
P

A
C

Adult

Child
P

P
A

Contamination of the Adult ego

state
Contamination can be thought of as an intrusion
of the content of the Parent and/or Child ego
state into the boundary of Adult ego state. This
occurs when we talk as if something is a fact or
P

a reality when really this is a belief.

A

Contamination of Adult Ego state :

The Adult ego state is contaminated by the
Parent/Child ego state. Growing up it is likely,
that having no real experience to go by, we
believed this. Few Examples are;
Racism, Dont trust Government,
I am not
CHILD CONTAMINATION
PARENT CONTAMINATION
lovable, Children should not say their opinion
before elders, I am OK if I keep quiet etc.

A
C

CONTAMINATION

A
C

CONTAMINATIO
N

DOUBLE CONTAMINATION
(PARENT &CHILD)

P
A
C

CONTAMINATIO
N
CONTAMINATIO
N

EXCLUSION
One or more ego states are totally blocked and the person
operates only from the available ego state. This phenomenon is
called Exclusion.
P
P
P

Parent excluded

Adult Excluded

Child Excluded

Complementary Transactions
Interactions, responses, actions regarded as appropriate
and expected from another person.
Parallel communication arrows, communication continues.
Example 1:
#2

#1

What time did you reach?

Around 11:15 am.

Example 2:

#1
#2

Youre late again!

Im sorry. It wont
happen again.

Crossed Transactions
Interactions, responses, actions NOT
regarded as appropriate or expected from
another person.
Arrows cut each other causing
communication breakdown.
Example 1 #1

What is the time?

#2 Theres a clock on the wall, why

P
dont you
figurePit out yourself?
A

Crossed Transactions
Example 2

#1

#2

Youre late again!

Yeah, I know, I had a flat tire.

Ulterior Transactions
Interactions, responses, actions which are
different from those explicitly stated
Sending one message overtly (Social level) but
sending a parallel message (Psychological Level)
Example #1 What is the time now? (Teacher asking the student
who being late to class)
P

Blend of All Three Ego states :

Transactional Analysis teaches the individual to
live in the here and now. It is not okay to stay on
any one ego state all the time. Our personality
has to be a blend of all the three ego states.

THANK YOU