Transactional Analysis

Fiza Rehman
Clinical Psychologist
Visiting Lecturer
 Introduction
• Transactional Analysis is a theory developed by Dr. Eric Berne in
the 1950s.
• Trained in Psychoanalysis, Berne wanted a theory which could be
understood and available to everyone and began to develop what
came to be called Transactional Analysis (TA).
• Used for understanding behaviors.
• Social transactions are analysed.
 What is Transaction?
• The unit of social interaction 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.
 What is TA?
• The process of understanding/analyzing how people interact.
• Transactional Analysis is underpinned by the philosophy that:
1. People can change
2. We all have the right to be in the world and be accepted
• TA can be used to improve communication and to understand
your own ways of behaving and communicating.
 Transactional Analysis - Contracting
• Transactional Analysis is a contractual approach.
• A contract is "an explicit bilateral commitment to a well-defined course of action"
Berne E. (1966) which means that all parties need to agree:
• why they want to do something?
• with whom?
• what they are going to do?
• by when?
• any fees, payment or exchanges there will be?
 For example
• Berne believed in making a commitment to "curing" his patients
rather than just understanding them.
• He introduced one of the most important aspects of TA: the
contract—an agreement entered into by both client and therapist
to pursue specific changes that the client desires
 Transactional Analysis Structural Model
• Berne devised the concept of Ego States to help explain how we
are made up, and how we relate to others.
• They categorize the ways we think, feel and behave and are called
1. Parent State
2. Adult State
3. Child State
 Ego States
• Parent – taught concept (e.g. “Never talk to strangers”)
• Child – felt concept (e.g. “When I saw the monster’s face, I felt
really scared”)
• Adult – learned concept ( the child can play peek-a-boo)
 Identify??

• Which Ego State is more dominant in you?

 Analyzing Transactions
• Transactional Analysis involves identifying which ego state directed the
stimulus and which ego state in the other person executed the response.
• For example, a surgeon wants a scalpel during a procedure. The surgeon’s
Adult holds out his 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.
 Types of Transactions
• Depending on the ego states of the persons involved in transactions, there
three types of transactions:
• Complementary Transactions
• Crossed Transactions
• Ulterior Transactions
 Complementary Transactions
• Successful communication in the workplace requires complementary
transactions. This involves one person initiating a conversation in one of the
three ego states and the respondent sending an appropriate reply back to the
sending ego state.
• There can be nine complementary transactions. They are given below:
• Adult-Adult transactions Adult-Parent transactions Adult-Child transactions
Parent-Parent transactions Parent-Adult transactions Parent-Child transactions
Child-Parent transactions Child-Adult transactions Child-Child transactions
 For example
• For example, a supervisor communicates in the parent-to-child ego when he
reprimands an employee for being late. If the employee responds by apologizing
and saying it won't happen again, the employee is in the child-to-parent ego state
and the result is a complementary transaction.
• consider two co-workers evaluating a failed project. If one person sends an adult-
to-adult message of "Let's figure out what went wrong," a complementary adult-
to-adult response from the other would be "Yes, let's get to work and find out
what happened."
 Crossed Transactions
• Crossed Transactions: A crossed transaction is one in which the sender
sends message/behaviour on the basis of his ego state, but this message is
reacted by an unexpected ego state on the part of the receiver.
• Crossed communication should be avoided as far as possible. Whenever such
transactions occur, communication tends to blocked and a satisfactory
transaction is not accomplished.
 For example
• For example, a manager in the adult-to-adult state might rationally ask an
employee about a mistake in a report the employee composed. A crossed
transaction occurs if the employee responds using the child-to-parent ego
and complains, "Why are you always criticizing my work?"
 Ulterior Transactions
• Ulterior Transactions: Two ego states within the same person but one
disguises the other one.
• Ulterior transactions are manipulative and increase the risk of
communication failure and conflict.
• For example, if a manager tells an employee, “this is a really interesting
problem, but it might be too hard for you.” This message can be heard either
by the employee’s adult (I don’t have the capability to deal with this scenario)
or by the employee’s child (I will do it and show him!).
 Strokes
• It is the fundamental unit of social action.
• The term stroke refers to “giving some kind of recognition to others either
verbally or non verbally.”
• People need strokes for their sense of survival and well being on the job.
• Lack of stroking can have negative consequences both on physiological and
psychological well being of a person.
• Examples include verbal praise of an employee, compliments or positive
feedback about a project.
 Types of strokes
• Positive strokes: the stroke one feel good, is a positive stroke. Recognition,
approval are some of the examples.
• Negative strokes: a stroke one feel bad or not good is a negative stroke.
negative strokes hurt physically or psychologically. such as constant criticism
from an overbearing boss.
• Mixed strokes: a stroke may be of a mixed type also. Example :the boss
comment to a worker “you did an excellent job although you had a limited
experience.
 Life positions
• In the process of growing up people make basic assumptions about their
own self worth as well as about the worth of significant people in their
environment.
• The combination of assumptions about self and the other person are called
life positions.
 Classification
• Transactional analysis constructs the following classifications of the four
possible life positions or psychological positions:
• I am OK,, you are OK.
• I am OK,, you are not OK
• I am not OK,, you are OK.
• I an not OK,, you are not OK
 Contd.
• I am OK, you are OK: It appears to be an ideal life position. People with this type of life
position have confidence in themselves as well as trust and confidence in others.
• I am OK, you are not OK: This is a distrustful psychological positions. This is the
attitude of those people, who think that whatever they do is correct.
• I am not OK, you are OK: This is a common position for those people who feel power
less when they compare themselves to others.
• I am not OK, you are not OK: people in this position tend to feel bad about themselves
and see the whole world as miserable. They do not trust others and have no confidence in
themselves.
 Games
• A game is a familiar pattern of behavior with a predictable outcome.
• When people fail to get enough strokes at work, they try a variety of
psychological games.
• For example, A boss may play the "Why Don't You/Yes But" game when he
calls a meeting to get suggestions on some issue, but then puts down each
suggestion offered by the employees only to point out that his solution is the
best answer.
 Cont
• First Degree games are played in social circles generally lead to mild upsets
not major traumas and are acceptable in the agent’s circle e.g. a party.
• 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 and ends up with bad feelings
• Third Degree games involve tissue damage and may end up in the jail,
hospital or morgue.
 Drama Triangle
• The drama triangle is a social model of human interaction which maps a
destructive interaction that can occur between people in conflict.
• There are three roles in the conflict;
1. Persecutor,
2. Rescuer (the one up positions)
3. Victim (one down position).
 The Victim
• The Victim: The Victim's stance is "Poor me!"
• The Victim feels victimized, oppressed, helpless, hopeless, powerless,
ashamed, and seems unable to make decisions, solve problems, take pleasure
in life, or achieve insight.
 The Rescuer
• The Rescuer: The rescuer's line is "Let me help you.“
• the Rescuer feels guilty if he/she doesn't go to the rescue.
• It keeps the Victim dependent and gives the Victim permission to fail.
• The rewards derived from this rescue role are that the focus is taken off of
the rescuer.
• their actual primary interest is really an avoidance of their own problems
disguised as concern for the victim’s needs.
 The Persecutor
• The Persecutor: The Persecutor insists, "It's all your fault."
• The Persecutor is controlling, blaming, critical, oppressive, angry,
authoritative, rigid, and superior.
• For example, the employer.
 Activity

Why people play games?

 Utility of TA?
• Improved interpersonal communication
• Source of positive energy
• Understanding Ego State
• Motivation
• Organizational development