TRANSACTIONAL
ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
The study of human behaviour is very complex and
complicated concept.
It is affected by the psychological factors such as perception,
learning, peronality and motivation.
In addition to these factors, individual behaviour affects and
affected by the behaviour of others.
One of the major problems in the study of organisational
behaviour is to analyse and improve, the interpersonal
relationships.
One basic approach to study interpersonal relations in an
organisational system is transactional analysis.
This analysis deals with understanding, predicting and
controlling interpersonal relationships.
TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
It was introduced by Eric Berne.
Transactional analysis is a technique used to help
people better understand their own and other’s
behaviour, especially in interpersonal relationships.
It is a good method for understanding interpersonal
behaviour.
It offers a model of personality and the dynamics of
self and its relationship to others that makes possible a
clear and meaningful discussion of behaviour.
Transactional analysis is primarily
concerned with following:
Analysis of self awareness
Analysis of ego states
Analysis of transactions
Script analysis
Games analysis
Analysis of life positions
stroking
1. ANALYSIS OF SELF AWARENESS
The interpersonal relationships are composed of interself.
Self is the core of personality pattern which provides
integration.
Self awareness is an important concept, it describes the self
in terms of image, both conscious and unconscious.
Joseph Luft and Harrington have developed a diagram to
look at one’s personality including behaviours and attitudes
that can be known and unknown to self and known and
unknown to others.
This diagram is known as the JOHARI WINDOW.
It comprising of 4 parts.
JOHARI WINDOW
OPEN BLIND
(known to others and also self) (unknown to self but known to
others)
HIDDEN UNKNOWN (unknown to self and unknown to
(known to self but unknown to
others) others)
2. ANALYSIS OF EGO STATES
The ego plays an important role in human behaviour.
People interact with each other in terms of psycological
positions or behavioural patterns known as ego states.
Ego states are person’s way of thinking, feeling and
behaving at any time.
There are 3 important ego states.
Ego states: child, adult and parent.
A person of any age have these ego states in varying degree.
A healthy person is able to move from one ego state to
another.
THE EGO STATES
PAREN ADULT CHILD
T
Personality
1. parent ego state:
The parent ego state means that the values, attitudes
and behaviours of parents an integral part of the
personality of an individual. These people tend to talk to
people and treat others like children. The characteristics
of a person with parent ego state are:
Judgemental
Rule maker
Moralising
Over protective
indispensable
2. Adult ego state:
The adult ego state is authentic, direct, reality based,
fact seeking and problem solving. They assume that
human beings as equal, worthy and responsible. The
process of adult ego state formation goes through one’s
own experiences and continuously updating attitudes
left over from childhood. People with adult ego state,
gather relevant information, carefully analyse it,
generate alternatives and make logical choices .
[Link] ego state:
the child ego state is characterized by very immature
behaviour. The important features of child ego state are
creativity, anxiety, depression, dependence, fear, joy,
emotional sentimental etc.
[Link] OF TRANSACTIONS
A transaction is a basic unit of social interaction.
The heart of transactional analysis is the study and
diagramming of the exchanges between two persons.
Thus where a verbal or non verbal stimulus from one
person is being responded by another person a transaction
occurs.
Transactional analysis can help us to determine which ego
state is most heavily influencing our behaviour and the
behaviour of the other people with whom we interact.
Depending on the ego states of the persons involved in
transactions, there may be three types of transactions:
[Link] transactions:
Both people are operating from the same 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
2. Crossed transactions:
a crossed transaction is one in which the sender sends
message a behaviour on the basis of his ego state, but
this message is reacted to 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.
[Link] transactions:
two ego states within the same person but one
disguises the other one.
4. SCRIPT ANALYSIS
In a layman’s view ,a script is the text of play, motion
picture, or a radio or TV programme.
In transactional analysis a person’s life is compared to a
play and the script is the text of the play.
According to Eric Berne,” a script is an ongoing
programme, developed in early childhood under parental
influence which directs the individual behaviour in the
most important aspects of his life.
A script is a complete plan of living, offering prescriptions,
permissions and structure which makes one winner or loser
in life.
5. ANALYSIS OF 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 called as life position.
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
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
[Link]
Stroking is an important aspects of the transactional
analysis.
The term stroke refers to “giving some kind of
recognition to others.”
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.
There are three types of strokes:
[Link] strokes:
the stroke one feel good, is a positive stroke.
Recognition, approval are some of the examples.
2. Negative strokes:
a stroke one feel bad or not good is a negative
stroke. negative strokes hurt physically or
psychologically.
[Link] strokes:
a stroke may be of a mixed type also.
Example :the boss comment to a worker “you did an
excellent job inspite your limited experience.
7. GAMES ANALYSIS
When people fail to get enough strokes at work they try a
variety of things.
One of the most important thing is that they play
psychological games.
A psychological game is a set of transaction with three
characteristics:
The transaction tend to be repeated.
They make sense on superficial or social level.
One or more transactions is ulterior.
Types of games:
* A first degree game is one which is
socially acceptable in the agent’s circle.
* A second degree game is one which
more intimate end up with bad feelings.
* A third degree game is one which
usually involve physical injury.
BENEFITS AND UTILITY OF
TRANSACATIONAL ANALYSIS
Improved interpersonal communication.
Source of positive energy.
Understanding ego state.
motivation.
Organisational development
