Download - Transactional Analysis
Program Objectives
By the end of this program you will be able to
Define and understand theory of Transactional Analysis Identify the three ego states ‘Parent-Child-Adult’ Understand the term stroke and its importance Differentiate between injunctions and counter injunctions Define decisions and redecisions Apply TA to daily life
What is TA?
Transactional Analysis (TA) is theory of personality and organised system of interactional therapy
Assumptions were made Current decisions are made based on past premises Premises that were appropriate to our survival needs but may be no
longer valid
Why TA?
The goal of TA is autonomy Autonomy is
Awareness Spontaneity Intimacy
In achieving autonomy Capacity to make new decisions (redecide) Empower lives Alter course of lives Evolve and establish enriching relationships in both personal life and
work life Can build effective teams at work place
TA- Historical Background
TA was developed by Eric Berne(1961) Developed as an extension to psychoanalysis to treat groups Dusay and Dusay (1989) further developed TA The four phases of TA
The first phase(1951-62) Parent , Child and Adult
The second phase (1962-66) Transactions and games
The third phase (1966-70) Life scripts and script analysis
The fourth phase (1970- to present) Cognitive factors and insight
TA-Key Concepts
View of Human Nature The Ego States The Need for Strokes Injunctions and counterinjunctions Decisions and Redecisions Games Life positions and Life scripts
TA-View of Human Nature
Humans are Social beings Influenced by social forces Influenced by the expectations and demands of significant others Known to make a habit patterns
TA places faith in our capacity to make certain decisions in order to survive both physically and
psychologically in life to raise above habit patterns and to select new goals and behaviour
The Ego States
Ego states are important facets of a personality
Every personality has a basic trio of
Parent Adult Child
Ego State-Parent
Parent ego state contains Values, Morals, Core beliefs and behaviours learned from parents Shoulds and Oughts Strikingly similar to those of our parents and other significant
people We may use phrases, gestures, voice and mannerisms of our
parents ‘Taught’ concept of our life
Parent ego is expressed as Nurturing parent Critical parent
Ego state- Adult
Adult ego state is Processor of data Objective of the person Niether emotional nor judgmental Based on facts and external reality Thought concept of life
The Adult without passionate convictions need empathy and intuition to be resolved
Ego state- Child
Child ego state is A set of behaviours, thoughts and feelings replayed from our own
childhood; our original part Impulses, spontaneous actions Felt concept of life
Expressed as Natural child
Loveable, spontaneous , loving and charming (Positive) Impulsive, compromised (Negative)
Adapted child Respond appropriately to social situations (Positive) Give up our power , discount our value, worth and dignity( Negative)
TA-Descriptive Model
Ineffective modes :
Negative Controlling Parent : "You're not OK" and is punitive.
Negative Nurturing Parent :"You're not OK" message. Engulfing and overprotective.
Negative Adapted Child "I'm not OK" Emotions as depression, unrealistic fear and anxiety.
Negative Free Child "You're not OK" Runs wild with no restrictions or boundaries.
TA-Descriptive Model
Effective modes
Positive Nurturing Parent "You're OK". Caring and Affirming.
Positive Controlling Parent "You're OK". Offering constructive criticism, whilst being caring but firm.
Positive Adapted Child "I'm OK“ From this mode we learn the rules to help us live with others.
Positive Free Child "I'm OK" Creative, Fun loving, Curious and Energetic
TA-Descriptive ModelAccounting mode
"We're OK" Is able to assess reality
Possible to choose the behaviour
Able to respond appropriately
Won’t flip into archaic or historic ways of being, thinking and behaving which are likely to be inappropriate and unhelpful
TA- Structural Model Ineffective modes
Criticizing Mode "You're not OK"
Over-Indulging / Inconsistent Mode "You're not OK".
Compliant / Resistant Mode "I'm not OK" or "I'm not OK and You're Not OK"
Immature Mode "You're not OK" message.
TA- Structural Model
Effective modes
Accounting Mode "We're OK" or "I'm OK and You're OK".
Nurturing we are caring and affirming.
Structuring we are caring whilst firm.
Cooperative we learn the rules to help us live with others.
Playful creative, fun loving, curious and energetic .
TA-Strokes
What is a stroke?
any act of recognition or source of stimulation
Humans need to receive strokes both physically and psychologically To develop a sense of trust in the world and a basis for loving
Lack of physical contact may impair development in infant
Verbal or nonverbal signs of acceptance and recognition A must for humans as confirmations of their worth
TA-Strokes
Strokes can be Verbal
Through words Non verbal
Body language or written Unconditional (being)
Accepted for being you who are conditional (doing)
Accepted only when you are in a certain way Positive
‘I like you’ , appreciation , smiles , friendly gestures and warm touch Negative
‘I don’t like you’ anger, refusal etc……
TA- Injunctions
Injunctions are messages we send out As expressions of disappointment, anxiety , frustration and
unhappiness And are issued from parents’ child ego state When parents feel threatened by child’s behaviour They establish don’ts by which children learn to live Predominantly given nonverbally at psychological level between
birth and 7 years of age Don’t, don’t be , don’t be close, don’t be separate from me, don’t be sex
you are don’t want , don’t need, don’t think, don’t feel, don’t be child, don’t grow up, don’t succeed , don’t belong etc….
TA- Counterinjunctions
Attempt to ‘counter’ the effect of injunctions
They come from parents’ Parent ego state
Given when observed children are not doing well or being comfortable
Are given at social level
They convey the shoulds, oughts, dos, of parental expectations e.g.. Be perfect, Be strong , Hurry up, Please me
TA- Decisions vs Redecisions
Decisions are set of commands we give ourselves in response to parental injunctions and counterinjunctions we receive(d)
And they affect our thinking , feeling and behaving They are recorded in our unconscious brain
Let us see an example Don’t make mistakes : injunction Possible decisions
I am scared of making a wrong decision, I simply won’t decide Because I made a dumb choice, I won’t decide on anything imp I would better be perfect if I hope to accepted
TA- Decisions vs Redecisions
TA believes that people can make substantial changes in their lives by changing their decisions- by re deciding at that moment
TA assumes that anything that has been learned can be relearned Redecision frame work
Revisit or relive the scenes which made to make self limiting decisions Think possible alternative decisions could have been made Redecide e.g.
Don’t grow : Injunction Decision made : I will remain child for ever Redecision : I will be the man I want to be, not the boy you want me to be
TA-Games
A game is an ongoing series of transactions between two or more people Ends with a negative pay off that concludes And advances some way of feeling badly They are designed to prevent intimacy
Games consists of three basic elements A series of complementary transactions that on the surface seem
plausible An ulterior transaction that is the hidden agenda A negative payoff that concludes the game and it is the real purpose of
the game
TA-Games
Berne(1964) described an anthology games originating from three positions
Persecutor Gotcha or Blemish
Rescuer I am only trying to help you
Victim Kick me
Games always have some payoffs Most common payoff is support for decisions we made in the past
Yes , but game
TA- GamesBy engaging in game playing
People receive strokes
Maintain and defend their early decisions
They find evidence to support their view of support
They collect bad feelings
Unpleasant feelings that people experience after playing games are known as Rackets
TA-Rackets
A Racket feeling is Familiar expression of emotion Learned and encouraged in childhood Much similar to that of we had as children Maintained by choosing situations that will support them It is maladaptive as an adult means of problem solving
How to work on them? One has to learn to connect between games they played as children and
those one plays now. Example
How they attempted to get attention in the past? How those past attempts relate to the games they play now to get stroked?
TA- Psychological Life positions Decisions about oneself, one’s world and one’s relationships to
others are crystalised during fist 5 years of life
They formulate into life positions and develops into life script
Games are often used to support and maintain life positions
People seek security by maintaining their life positions though the life position unpleasant
Once person decided on a life position , difficult to change unless there is some intervention e.g.. Behavioural Therapy
TA- Psychological Life positions
TA identifies four basic life positions , based on Decisions made as a result of childhood experiences How people feel themselves? How they relate to others?
Four Life positions I am OK, You ‘re OK I am OK, You ‘re not OK I am not OK, You’re OK I am not OK, You’re not OK
TA- Psychological Life positions
Four Life positions I am OK, You ‘re OK
Game free, basic value ,dignity and worth as human beings Attitude of trust, openness, willingness and acceptance People are close to themselves and others No losers , Only winners
I am OK, You ‘re not OK Project their problems onto others , blame ,criticise Reinforce this position involve self-styled I am OK Projects anger, disgust and scorn onto designated inferior or
a scapegoat ( You’re not OK) This person needs an underdog to maintain his/her sense of OKness
TA- Psychological Life positions I am not OK, You’re OK
Known as depressive position Charcterised by feeling powerless in comparison with others Serve others’ need instead of their own and generally feel victimised They play games which support power of others and deny their own
e.g. Kick me,
I am not OK, You’re not OK Known as futility and frustration Lost interest in life , see life as totally without promising Self-destructive, unable to cope up with the world May lead extreme withdrawal Infantile behaviour may lead to death of themselves or others
TA-Life Scripts
A personal life script is an unconscious life plan
Made in childhood Reinforced by parents Justified by subsequent events Culminating in a chosen way Nothing but basic belief system Its important to know the components of our life script Thinking , feeling and behaving