Transactional Analysis

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

Philosophy of TA • It is based on +ve, humanistic philosophy • We are all OK • Positive strokes are deserved • We do influence each other • We are responsible for our own behavior

EGO STATES

Each of us has within us 3 ego states 

PARE NT ADUL T

CHILD

EGO STATES

PARE NT

EGO STATES • Parent ego state: – Collection of attitudes, thoughts, behaviours, and feelings which a person has taken in from outside sources who served as parent figures. – LIFE AS TAUGHT

PARENT EGO STATE • Parents define for their children how to perceive and deal with the world. • Historical record of the important things that parent figures did • These tapes are recorded experiences and will never go away • Parent ego state is replete with opinion, judgements, values and attitudes • New tapes are recorded at all times depending on – Vulnerability of self – Power of parent figure – Believability of parent figure

Nurturing Parent

NP

CP

Critical Parent

PARENT EGO STATE – Nurturing Parent: is caring, concerned, forgiving, reassuring, permissive, warmly protective, worried – Critical Parent: is opinionated, powerful, strongly protective, principled, punitive, demanding

Spotting the parent • From non-verbal behavior – Gestures: Frown, stern look, pointing finger, arms folded across the chest; reaching for, hugging, holding – Tone of voice: critical; comforting, reassuring – Postures: puffed up, back straight, shoulder pulled back; open arms protecting from a fall or hurt

• From verbal behavior

Behavior Drivers • Parents indicated to us how we should behave in order to be OK with them. We retain these messages and replay them. – Be Perfect – Try Hard – Please Me – Hurry Up – Be Strong

EGO STATES

PARE NT

CHILD

EGO STATES • Child ego state: – Consists of feelings, and behaviours which are typical of children and spontaneous adults – LIFE AS FELT

Nurturing Parent

Natural Child Little Professor

NP

CP

NC

AC LP

Critical Parent

Adapted Child

CHILD EGO STATE • Is derived from needs and feelings. • It contains memories of our past experiences. • There are three forms - Natural Child (NC), Adapted Child (AC), and Little Professor (LP) • The NC expresses itself spontaneously without concern for the reactions of the “parents” • The AC, behaves, as if a parent were watching or listening and is restrained

CHILD EGO STATE • LP plays the primary role in our process of making decisions about how we can best get along in the world • LP thinks intuitively, using subjective rather than logical ways of understanding.

Spotting the Child • From non-verbal behavior – Gestures: laughter, arms moving freely; wringing hands, hanging head – Tone of voice: affectionate, impulsive; self-centered, rebellious, whining – Expression: excitement, surprise, wideeyed looks; downcast eyes, quivering lips or chin, pouting – Posture: jumping up and down, head cocked; slouching, burdened

EGO STATES

PARE NT ADUL T

CHILD

EGO STATES • Adult ego state: – Processor which functions like a computer as it organizes information, estimates probabilities, and makes logical statements – LIFE AS THOUGHT

ADULT EGO STATE • Adult state is rational and linear in its functioning • It gathers, stores, and uses information from many sources • Its recordings are essentially factual • The adult uses the information to make assessments to estimate probabilities • The adult is often called the computer

Nurturing Parent

NP

CP

Critical Parent

ADULT Natural Child Little Professor

NC

AC LP

Adapted Child

Now look at your scores and see what meaning they have for you?

Strokes • When one person recognizes the existence of another to that person, it is called a ‘stroke’ • Recognition is a basic human need and strokes are very important • Strokes can be pleasurable or painful • Strokes can be unconditional or conditional • Conditional strokes might be – Performance oriented – Strokes for following rules – Conformity and compromise oriented strokes

TRANSACTIONS • A transaction is a unit of social interaction between two persons • These transactions can be analyzed according to the ego states involved • Transactions could be simple or complex • Simple transactions are of two kindscomplementary and crossed • In simple transactions, the ego state that is addressed is the one that responds and the response is to the

COMPLEMENTARY TRANSACTIONS 

P

Boss:

P



A



1 A 2 

C

C



When is the meeting

Subordinate: Tomorrow at 1:30

COMPLEMENTARY TRANSACTIONS Boss:



P

P



1 A

A 2

You don’t deserve a raise

Subordinate:



C

C





I know, I just can’t do anything right

CROSSED TRANSACTIONS 

P

P

A



1

A



2 

C

C 

Colleague A: You left without permission

Colleague B: What is it to you?

CROSSED TRANSACTIONS 

P

P



1 A

A 2 

C

C





Person A: Laziness breeds mediocrity you know

Person B: Who are you to say?

COMPLEX TRANSACTIONS A transaction becomes complex when there is duplicity in meaning in one or both transactions 

P

P 1 A

A 1

Salesperson:



This piece is very expensive



C

2

C

I am challenging you to buy it



Customer



I think this is the piece I want to buy 

COMPLEX TRANSACTIONS Boss



P

P

1 1

A

A

1. You are late again



Subordinate

2 C

How come you are so early today?





2

Sometimes you also come early



C

2. I know of times when you are late too



Life Positions I’m not OK with me, You are OK with me

I’m OK with me, You’re OK with me

I’m not OK with me, You’re not OK with me

I’m OK with me, You’re not OK with me