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TRANSACTIONAL
ANALYSIS
CONTENTS
- Introduction
- Definition
- Ego State
- Analyzing Transactions
- Strokes
- Four Life Positions
- Script Analysis
- Games and their Analysis
Transactional analysis (TA) is both a theory of personality and an organized system of interactional therapy. It is grounded on the assumption that we make current decisions based on past premises—premises that were at one time appropriate to our survival needs but that may no longer be valid. TA emphasizes the cognitive and behavioral aspects of the therapeutic process. The goal of transactional analysis is autonomy, which is defined as awareness, spontaneity, and the capacity for intimacy. In achieving autonomy people have the capacity to make new decisions (redecide), thereby empowering themselves and altering the course of their lives. As a part of the process of TA therapy, clients learn how to recognize the three ego states—Parent, Adult, and Child—in which they function. Clients also learn how their current behavior is being affected by the rules they received and
incorporated as children and how they can identify the “lifescript” that is determining their actions. This approach focuses on early decisions that each person has made, and it stresses the capacity of clients to make new decisions to change aspects of their lives that are no longer working.
Transactional analysis (TA to its adherents), is a psychology idea that humans are social creatures and that a person is a multi-faceted being that changes when in contact with another person in their world.Transactional analysis was developed by Eric Berne, MD (d.1970). Berne’s theory consists of certain key concepts that practitioners use to help clients, students, and systems analyze and change patterns of interaction that interfere with achieving life aspirations
Definitions:
In words of Eric Berne “The unit of social intercourse is called a transaction. If two or more people encounter each other… sooner or later one of them will speak, or give some other indication of acknowledging the presence of the others. This is called transactional stimulus. Another person will then say or do something which is in some way related to the stimulus, and that is called the transactional response.”
“Transactional Analysis is a technique used to help people better understand their own and others that makes possible a clear and meaningful discussion of behaviors.”
The Ego States
The Adult ego state is the processor of data. It is the objective part of the person, which gathers information about what is going on. It is not emotional or judgmental but works with the facts and with external reality. The Adult is without passionate convictions, but many problems also require empathy and intuition to be resolved.
The Child ego state is the original part of us and is most naturally who we are. It consists of feelings, impulses, and spontaneous actions and includes “recordings” of early experiences. The Child ego state is divided into Natural Child (NC) and Adapted Child (AC), both of which have positive and negative aspects. The positive aspects of the Natural Child are the spontaneous, ever so lovable, loving and charming parts of all of us. The negative aspect of the Natural Child is to be impulsive to the degree our safety is compromised. The positive aspect of the Adapted Child is that we respond appropriately in social situations. The negative aspect of the Adapted Child involves overadapting wherein we give up our power and discount our value, worth, and dignity.
Analyzing Transactions
When two people communicate, one person initiates a transaction with the transactional stimulus (see the above Transactions Defined section for a definition of the transaction stimulus). The person at whom the stimulus is directed will respond with the transactional response. Simple Transactional Analysis involves identifying which ego state directed the stimulus and which ego state in the other person executed the response.
According to Dr. Berne, the simplest transactions are between Adults ego states. For example, a surgeon will survey the patient, and based upon the data before him/her, his/her Adult decides that the scalpel is the next instrument required. The surgeon’s Adult holds out his/her hand, providing the transactional stimulus to the nurse. The nurse’s Adult looks at the hand, and based upon previous experiences, concludes that the scalpel is needed. The nurse then places the scalpel in the surgeon’s hand.
But not all transactions proceed in this manner. Some transactions involve ego states other than the Adult.
Structural Diagram
This leads us to Parent – Child transactions, which are almost as simple as Adult-Adult transactions. Quoting Dr. Berne in Games People Play: “The fevered child asks for a glass of water, and the nurturing mother brings it.”8 In this, the Child of a small child directs an inquiry to the Parent of his/her mother. The Parent of the mother acknowledges this stimuli, and then gives the water to the child. In this example, the small child’s request is the stimuli, and the parent providing
This transaction matches the Parent – Child example listed above, with the fevered child asking his/her mother for a glass of water.
So far, the two transactions described can be considered complementary transactions. In a complementary transaction , the response must go back from the receiving ego state to the sending ego state. For example, a person may initiate a transaction directed towards one ego state of the respondent. The respondent’s ego state detects the stimuli, and then that particular ego state (meaning the ego state to which the stimuli was directed) produces a response. According to Dr. Berne, these transactions are healthy and represent normal human interactions. As Berne says in Games People Play “communication will proceed as long as transactions are complementary.”
Crossed Transaction
However, not all transactions between humans are healthy or normal. In those cases, the transaction is classified as
a crossed transaction. In a crossed transaction , an ego state different than the ego state which received the stimuli is the one that responds. The diagram to the right shows a typical crossed transaction. An example is as follows:
Agent’s Adult: “Do you know where my cuff links are?” (note that this stimuli is directed at the Respondents Adult).
Respondent’s Child: “You always blame me for everything!”
This is one the classic crossed transactions that occurs in marriage. Instead of the Respondent’s Adult responding with “I think they’re on the desk”, it is the Respondent’s Child that responds back.
Ulterior Transactions Ulterior, or hidden, transactions occur when the words seem to be coming from one ago state, but in reality the words or behaviors are coming from another. For example, aft er a training program, one of the participants came up to a consultant asking advice on an adult ego sate. When the consultant gave advice, the participant twice had quick responses as to why the advice would not work (child rather than adult beh avior). The consultant realized that what he participant actually wanted was sympathetic understanding f or his situation, not advice. The consultant stopped making suggestions and li stened actively, using reflective responses. The
- The Way words are delivered (tone, accents on certain words, etc.) – 38%
- Facial expressions – 55%
In the above statistics, the percentage figure indicates the degree of importance the listener places on that type of communication. One can see that facial expressions play a far more important role in communication (and thus, Transactional Analysis) than the actual words exchanged.
Strokes
Berne defined a stroke as the “fundamental unit of social action.” A stroke is a unit of recognition, when one person recognizes another person either verbally or non verbally. Berne introduced the idea of strokes into Transactional Analysis based upon the work of Rene Spitz, a researcher who did pioneering work in the area of child development. Spitz observed that infants deprived of handling – in other words, not receiving any strokes – were more prone to emotional and physical difficulties. These infants lacked the cuddling, touching, and handling that most other infants received.
Berne took Spitz’s observations of these infants and developed theories about the needs of adults for strokes. Berne postulated that adults need need physical contact just like infants, but have learned to substitute other types of recognition instead of physical stimulation. So while an infant needs cuddling, an adult craves a smile, a wink, a hand
gesture, or other form of recognition. Berne defined the term recognition-hunger as this requirement of adults to receive strokes.
Berne also reasoned that any stroke, be it positive or negative, is better than no strokes at all. Or, as summarized in TA Today, “any stroke is better than no stroke at all.” For example, if you are walking in front of your house and you see your neighbor, you will likely smile and say “Hi.” Your neighbor will likely say “hello” back. This is an example of a positive stroke. Your neighbor could also frown at you and say nothing. This is an example of a negative stroke. But either case is better than no stroke at all, if your neighbor ignored you completely.
Four Life Positions
I am OK, you are OK
- Healthy, optimistic and confident attitude towards self and others.
- As a realistic assessment, it means that in my opinion I am OK inspite of my deficiencies. I will neither punish myself for these deficiencies nor totally I will ignore their existence. Other people too have deficiencies but this does not mean that they are second class citizens ans cannot be trusted.
- Conflicts and criticism tackled from this life position aim to achieve results with underlying message that I care considerably about you to argue and fight with you rather than criticize you to belittle you.
I am OK, you are not OK
- I am better and you are no good.
- Attitude of superiority and distrust.
- Operating from critical parent and also, nurturing parent ego state.
- People with this attitude follow McGregor's Theory X style of management.
I am not OK, you are OK
- Feeling powerless, depressed and inferior.
- Self deprecating and readily accepts criticism and negative strokes from others.
- Cannot accept the positive strokes easily. Will discount the positive stroke by saying, "No, I could have done better." "I don't think that I look as good as you describe me."
I am not OK, you are not OK
- It is the black outlook.
- Fortunately not frequently encountered.
- If a person demonstrates this image for a long time, he is likely to show extreme apathy and will not be productive.
Behavioral Attributes of Life Positions
I am OK, you are OK
- 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.
I am OK, you are not OK
- 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.
Script Analysis
Script Analysis is the method of uncovering the early decisions, made unconsciously, as to how life shall be lived'. It is one of the five clusters in Transactional Analysis, involving 'a progression from structural analysis, through transactional and game analysis, to script analysis'.
The purpose of script analysis is to aid the patient to achieve autonomy by recognising the script's influence on their thoughts and actions and thereby allowing them to decide against the script. Berne describes someone who is autonomous as being 'script free' and as a "real person".
Script analysis considers that 'from the early transactions between mother, father, and child, a life plan evolves. This is called the script...or unconscious life plan'. Script analysts work on the assumption that a person's behavior is partly programmed by the script, 'the life plan set down in early life. Fortunately, scripts can be changed, since they are not inborn, but learned'
Games and their Analysis
Definition of game
A game is a series of transactions that is complementary (reciprocal), ulterior, and proceeds towards a predictable outcome. Games are always characterized by a switch in roles of players towards the end. Games are always played by
Parent and Child ego states, and games can have any number of players; however, an individual's role can shift, and people within games can play multiple roles. If a person uses their Adult in a game then this would be a manoeuvre and not a game on the part of the person using their Adult ego state. Adult functioning is conscious. Game playing is out of awareness.
Berne identified dozens of games, noting that, regardless of when, where or by whom they were played, each game tended towards very similar structures in how many players or roles were involved, the rules of the game, and the game's goals.
Each game has a payoff for those playing it, such as the aim of earning sympathy, satisfaction, vindication, or some other emotion that usually reinforces the life script. Theantithesis of a game, that is, the way to break it, lies in discovering how to deprive the actors of their payoff.
Students of transactional analysis have discovered that people who are accustomed to a game are willing to play it even as a different "actor" from what they originally were.
Analysis of a game
One important aspect of a game is its number of players. Games may be two handed (that is, played by two players), three handed (that is, played by three players), or many handed. Three other quantitative variables are often useful to consider for games:
- Flexibility: The ability of the players to change the currency of the game (that is, the tools they use to play it). In a flexible game, players may shift from words, to money, to parts of the body.
