WELCOME

TRANSACTIONAL
ANALYSIS
 TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

Dr. Eric Berne M. D. developed the theory

Transactional Analysis, popularly known as T.A, during 1960-
1970. Berne believed in the basic philosophy that every
human being is born OK. Early childhood experiences stand
in the way of development of human potential to the
maximum. Since man has the basic core of OK ness within
him he can become OK and achieve autonomy, spontaneity
and intimacy. Deviating from the then practice of
psychoanalysis Dr. Berne developed this new concept of T.A.
It includes analyzing the structure and function of human
mind, analyzing interactions between individuals, analyzing
psychological games, rackets, and finally scripts.
THE PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS ON WHICH
T.A. IS BASED ARE:

• PEOPLE ARE OK
• EVERYONE HAS A CAPACITY TO THINK
• PEOPLE DECIDE THEIR OWN DESTINY AND
THESE DECISIONS CAN BE CHANGED.
 EGO STATES

Dr. Berne observed that human mind has three

different levels, each having a consistent pattern of
thoughts and feelings manifested by a corresponding
pattern of behaviour. These states of mind are being
called Parent ego state, Adult ego state and Child ego
state presumably based on the nature of particular
ego state.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Parent
P

Adult
A

C Child
 PARENT EGO STATE


• Copied behaviour from elders.
• Judgements.
• Opinions.
• Values.
• Stored information.
• Parental messages.
 



ADULT EGO STATE:
  



  
• Here and Now.


• Reality.

• Computer.
  

• Probability estimation.

• Problem solving.

  



  



 CHILD EGO STATE

•Needs and wants

•Feelings
•Experiences.
•Curiosity.
•Creativity.
•Intuition.
•Intimacy..

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

CP - Critical/Controlling Parent.
CP NP
NP - Nurturing Parent

A A - Adult

NC
LP NC - Natural / Free Child
LP - Little Professor
A C AC - Adapted Child
CC RC CC - Compliant Child
RC - Rebellious Child
 PATHOLOGY
CONTAMINATION
Intrusion of Parent / Child ego state into the Adult ego state.

P P
A

A Contaminated
A
area
A

C
C C

Parent Child Double

Contamination Contamination Contamination
 EXCLUSION
one or more ego states non - functional
a) Constant ego state

P P P

A A A

C C C
 a) Exclusion

P P

Excluded
ego state

A A

C C
 EGOGRAM
• Jack Dussay
• Tool for behavioural change.
• Constancy Hypothesis.

Total psychic energy that can be spent in

one day is summed as 100 units.
It is divided among 5 functional ego states.

• Increase in one ego state results in decrease in

the other.

CP NP A AC FC
 TRANSACTIONS

• Unit of social discourse.

• Consists of a stimulus and a response.
• Transactions are represented by vectors.
• It is an exchange of strokes.
 TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS
COMPLEMENTARY TRANSACTIONS
• Response is from the appropriate and expected ego state and
directed towards the ego state from which stimulus
originates.

• Vectors are parallel.

P P P P P P

A A A A A A

C C C C C C

• Complementary transactions can continue for a long time.

CROSSED TRANSACTIONS
• Response is not from appropriate and expected ego state.
• Break in communication results.
• Either party can switch over to a different ego state to resume
relation.
• Common cause for interpersonal problems.

P P P P

A A A A

C C C C
ULTERIOR TRANSACTIONS
• Three or more ego states are involved.
• Social Message as well as psychological message.
• Outcome of the transaction is based on psychological
message.
• Unhealthy transaction.
• Two types - Angular and Duplex.

P P P P

A A A A

C C C C

Angular Transaction Duplex Transaction

 RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM

P P

A A

C C

Different channels for communication

Are you stuck up in any one channel?
 STROKES


• Stimulus Hunger
• Essential for existence
• Lack of strokes will shrivel up spinal cord
• For the healthy existence of ego states varied and
continuous flow of strokes is required
• Even negative strokes are enough for survival
• Stroke reinforces behaviour.
 TYPES OF STROKES
• Verbal and non - verbal
• Positive and negative
• Conditional (for doing), conditional positive &
conditional negative.
• Unconditional (for being), unconditional positive
& unconditional negative.
• Self Strokes
• Plastic strokes.
• Stroking Pattern
• Stroke filtering
• Stroke economy

Realise: Importance of unconditional positive stroke!

Never give unconditional negative strokes!
 TIME STRUCTURING
• Structure hunger.
• Time is structured to meet the stroke requirement
of the person concerned.

Withdrawal - refuses interaction with others

Rituals - Stereotyped and programmed complementary
transactions
Pastime - to structure an interval of time.
Activity - work - conditional stroke.
Games - Psychological games are played for particular
type of strokes.
Intimacy - Game tree relating with other.
 LIFE POSITIONS

• “Every child is born as prince or princess but

parents make them frogs”.
• People are born OK.
• Experiences force them to believe otherwise and
take up a position of being not OK.
• Everybody is relating with others. Experiences
result in taking a position of you are OK or not OK.
 FOUR LIFE POSITIONS
(1) I am OK, You are OK.
(2) I am not OK, You are OK.
(3) I am OK, You are not OK.
(4) I am not OK, You are not OK.

Forms attitude - A colour glass to look up at the world.

Experiences

Behaviours
Positions

VICIOUS CYCLE OF LIFE

 The four basic positions can rarely be changed
by external circumstances. Stable changes must come
from within either spontaneously or under some
therapeutic influences or love, which is nature’s
psychotherapy.

- Dr. Berne.
 OK CORRAL BY FRANKLIN ERNEST
You are OK

Get away from people Get on with people

I I- U+ I+ U+
I
Depressive position Healthy position
am
am
not Get nowhere Get rid of people
OK
I- U- I+ U-
OK
Futility position Paranoid position

You are not OK

 GAMES AND RACKETS
PSYCHOLOGICAL GAMES

A series of ulterior complementary transactions

progressing to a well defined predictable out come”

- Berne
C+G=RSXP

C - Con
G - Gimmick
R - Response
S - Switch
X - Cross up
P - Payoff
Games are played without Adult awareness.

Child has the cleverness to select partners and

initiate games for required negative stroke (pay off)

Examples
“RAPO”
“Why don’t you”? “Yes, but”
“Kick me”
“Poor me”
“Wooden leg”
“NIGYSOB” etc.
 DRAMA TRIANGLE
KARPMAN

(Persecutor) (Rescuer)

(Victim)

Do you play psychological games?

If yes, why?

• Script fulfillment
• Games provide pay off required for advancement
/ fulfillment of script.
 RACKET

• Racketeering is a particular mode of behaviour

resulting in racket feelings.
• Racket feeling is inauthentic.
• Children express feelings to meet their needs. if it is
not met , they escalate their feelings. If still not met
adapted behaviours are formed.
• Families have their own favoured feelings.
• Racket feeling is a substituted feeling (Fanita
English)
• Racket feeling results in confirming script decisions
and thereby advancement of scripts.
 RACKET SYSTEM
MERLIN ZALCMAN

RACKET SYSTEM

Script Behaviour RACKETY DISPLAYS Reinforcing

& Feelings memories
1. Behaviour
feelings suppressed 2. Internal experience
at the time of script 3. Fantasies

SCRIPT BELIEF
1. Self
2. Others
Emotional
3. Quality of life
Memories
 SCRIPT
Script is an ongoing life plan
Decided by Child
Confirmed by subsequent experience

Early childhood experience force the child to arrive at a

strategy for future life. This becomes a motivating
force, for behaviour. Based on the quality of early
decisions people turn out to be winners, losers or
banal.
The comedy or tragedy of each human life is
that it is planned by an urchin of pre-school
age. He is the Emperor of life who decides how
each person will die
- Dr. Eric Berne
 Script matrix (Claude Steiner)

SON
P P
M F
O P A
T T
H H
E A A E
R R
A
P1 P1
A1 A1
P1
C1 C1
A1

C1
Can we change
our script
“Yes”
Your script is your decisions, who
else can change it! You have the
sole responsibility for your
behaviour. If you want to change
for better, TA is a handy tool.