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