TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

About TA

• Proposed by Dr.Eric Berne in mid 1960’s in his book "Games People Play”

• When two people interact with each other they engage in social transactions in which one person responds to the another.

• Study of such “social transactions” is known as Transactional Analysis.

• It is used to study and analyze interpersonal communication

Transactional Analysis

• A model for explaining why and how:– People think like they do– People act like they do– People interact/communicate with others

• Based on published ‘psychological’ work such as:– Games People Play (Dr. Eric Berne)– I’m OK - - You’re OK (Dr. Tom Harris)– Born to Win (Dr. Dorothy Jongeward)

Our Brain (according toBerne)

• Determines what we think and how we act• Acts like a tape recorder while recording

1) Events2) Associated feelings

• Has 3 distinct parts or ego states1) Parent2) Adult3) Child

Ego States:

Parent Ego State

• Thoughts, feelings, behavioral patterns based on messages or lessons learned from parents or authoritarian sources

• Shoulds and should nots; oughts and ought nots; always and never

• Prejudicial views (not based on logic or facts) on things such as:

• religion dress salespeopletraditions work productschildren companies

• Nurturing views (sympathetic, caring views)• Critical views (fault finding, judgmental views)

The Parent

• The Critical Parent

Gives us directions and controls and limits our behavior “should, ought, must, never”

• Nurturing Parent

Protects and encourages, provides care and love “there, there sweetie; Try again. It’s all right”

Recognizing the ParentState

A person in a Nurturing Parent state is likely to• Use words such as well-done, good, gentle,

caring, don't worry• Use a loving, caring, comforting or concerned

tone of voice• Use open, encouraging gestures, smiling,

leaning forward, nodding of head• Have a caring, understanding attitude

Recognizing the ParentState

A person in Critical Parent state may:• Use words , such as bad, should, ought, must,

always, ridiculous, unacceptable• Use a patronizing, critical or disapproving tone

of voice• Use aggressive gestures• Come across as judgmental, authoritarian• Be intimidating or controlling

Adult Ego State

• Thoughts, feelings, attitudes, behavioral patterns based on objective analysis of information (data, facts)

• Make decisions based on logic, computations, probabilities, etc. (not emotion)

Recognizing the AdultState

A person in as Adult State is likely to• Speak in an even voice• Have an erect posture and use open gestures• Be alert and thoughtful about a problem they are

facing• Clarify the situation by careful questioning• Hypothesize and process information• Use words like correct, how, what, why, practical,

quality

Child Ego State

• Thoughts, feelings, attitudes, behavioral patterns based on childlike emotions, impulses, feelings we have experienced

• Child-like examples Impulsive Self-centered Angry

Fearful Happy Pleasure seekingRebellious Curious Eager to please

The Child State

Free child

• Impulsive and carefree

• Communicating through feeling behaviors

Adapted child

• Submissive and conforming behaviors

• Looking for approval and reassurance

Recognizing the ChildState

A person in a free child state

• Use words as wow, great, ouch, want• Talk loudly, energetically, free of constraint• Use spontaneous gestures and expressions• Be curious, fun-loving, changeable

Recognizing the ChildState

A person in adapted child may

• Use words such as can’t, try, hope, please, perhaps, wish

• Come across as innocent, helpless, sad, scared• Act in a defiant, ashamed or compliant way

Ego Portraits

People have favorite, preferred ego state, depicted by larger circle in a diagram

Ego Portraits (cont…)

• People generally exhibit all three Ego states• All three Ego states are necessary to healthy

personality• People can change the frequency of which

they use one ego state by concentrating or developing another

Human InteractionAnalysis

• A transaction = any interaction or communication between 2 people

• People send and receive messages out of and into their different ego states

• How people say something (what others hear?) just as important as what is said

• Types of communication, interactions1) Complementary2) Crossed3) Ulterior

Complementary Transaction

Complementarytransactions

• Transactions are complementary if the message sent receives the expected response from the other person’s ego state

Examples• Parent-parent – Between Father & Mother• Parent-child – Between Boss & his Subordinate• Adult-adult – Between Husband & Wife• Child-child – Between Siblings• Child-parent – Between a Daughter and mother

Crossed/ Blocked Transaction

Crossed transactions

• A crossed transaction occurs when the message sent by one person’s ego state reacted to by an incompatible unexpected ego state on the part of the other person

Ulterior Transaction

Ulterior transactions

• Ulterior transactions always involve at least two ego states on the part of one person

• Ulterior transactions have a hidden agenda

Strokes

• Stroking is an act of recognition for another• Everyone has to have strokes (affection,

recognition and praise)• Strokes may be– Positive, negative and mixed– Conditional and unconditional– Verbal and non verbal

Giving and receivingstrokes

• Don’t be insincere• Accept strokes positively from other people• Make a conscious effort to give strokes to other

people• Try to recognize other people’s reaction to strokes

and the frequency/kind they appear to appreciate• Ask for strokes when you feel you need them• Give yourself strokes when you feel you

deserve/need them

Life Positions

• Life positions are basic beliefs about self and others, which are used to justify decisions and behavior.

• These life positions are perceptions of the world. The reality is I just am and you just are, therefore how I view myself and others are just that "views" not fact. However, we tend to act as if they are a fact. Just like when somebody says "I can't do this, I'm useless". Rather than "I don't know how to do this. Will you show me?" The latter is staying with the fact that they do not yet know how to do it, whilst the former links being useless with not being able to do something.

Life Positions

• I’m OK, you’re OK• I’m not OK, you’re OK• I’m OK, you’re not OK• I’m not OK, you’re not OK

I’m OK, you’re OK

• Cooperate, share • You believe in yourself and others, are trusting

and tend to get on with life

I’m not OK, you’re OK

Submit to, concede• You have a low opinion of your own value and

poor self esteem; lack self confidence and expect things to go wrong

• A negative outlook tends to lead to a self fulfilling prophesy and you often lose out in situations

I’m OK, you’re not OK

Compete, aggression • You will tend to be competitive. You may not

cope well with failure, look down at others, blame other people and see them as cause of your failure

I’m not OK, you’re not OK

Avoid

• Life may seem to be futile and that nothing can be done to improve things. A life of rejecting and feeling rejected

Life Positions:

Games

• Games are a set of transactions that have surface logic but hidden meaning and attempt to draw in an unsuspecting participant.

• An outcome of games is always a win-lose propositions

Games are learned patterns of behavior, and most people play a small number of favorite games with a range of different people and in varying intensities. • First Degree games are played in social circles generally lead to mild upsets not major traumas. • Second Degree games occur when the stakes may be higher. This usually occurs in more intimate circles, and ends up with an even greater negative payoff. • Third Degree games involve tissue damage and may end up in the jail, hospital or morgue.

Ways to deal withgames

1.What keeps happening over and over again2. How does it start?3. What happens next?4. And then what happens?5. How does it end?6. How do feel after it ends? (John James, 1973)

We can then consider the reason we might have taken up a particular role, where we might switch to, and then consider how to do things differently. We need to consider what our own responsibility is in this - if the situation is too violent for us to get involved what options do we have? We could call for help, get others to come with us to intervene and so on. We need to choose the appropriate assistance and take the action required.

Advantages of TA

• Improves interpersonal communication• Simple to learn• Applicable in Motivation• Helps in Organizational Development• Can be used at home as well as in office

Disadvantages of TA

• Few scientific facts to prove• Does not provide an insight into human

behavior• Ego states are difficult to define

THANK YOU!