Transactional Analysis

Ten Tenets
1. Every grown-up was a child
2. Every human being with sufficient functioning brain tissue is potentially capable of reality.
3. Every individual who survives into adulthood has had either functioning parents or someone in
that position
4. It is possible to change or re-decide anything that has been decided earlier.
5. We are born OK, and become not OK by accepting/internalizing negative injections of our
“parents.”
6. Our brain acts as a recorder capturing every sensory experience from birth (possibly prior).
7. We are born with stimulus hunger and without it the infant may become crippled or die.
8. Our decisions of how to get along in life are based on our perception of the moment.
9. Our perceptions are influenced by past experiences, future aspirations, and more importantly as
a child, by a level of cognitive ability.
10. We have a need to structure time in ways designed to achieve a desired level of strokes.

Alter Ego States

1. Parent – ‘Thought’ - Ingrained voice of authority, absorbed conditioning, learning and attitudes
a. Witch
b. Smothering
c. Nurturing
2. Child – ‘Felt’ - internal reaction and feelings to external events the seeing, hearing, feeling, and
emotional body of data within each of us. When anger or despair dominates reason, the child is
in control
a. Rebellious
b. Compliant
c. Free
3. Adult – ‘Thought’ - Our ability to think and determine actions based on received data. Begins to
form early in life.

OKness
Okness is seeing oneself and others as having the potential to be fully human and fully alive.

 Think
 Trust
 Caption
  Joy
 Creative
 Spontaneity

OK Corral – life positions

 I’m ok ………………..………………………………. You’re ok
 I’m ok…………………………………………………. You’re not ok
 I’m not ok…………..………………………………. You’re ok
 You’re not ok……………………………………… I’m not ok

Structure Time for Recognition

 Withdrawal – isolation in own thoughts
 Activity – work
 Intimacy – closeness taken to another level; unuttered recognition
 Ritual – predictable
 Pastime – like ritual; no emotional attachment; lead to set up game
 Scripts – life plan made in growing up
 Games – ulterior motive; predictable series of interactions
o Blame game
o Kick me

Why Games?

o Structure time
o Acquire strokes
o Maintain substitute perception
o Confirm parental injunction, furthering script
o Maintain person’s life position by “proving” that self/others are not ok.
o Provide a “high level” of stroke exchange while blocking intimacy and maintain distance
o To make people predictable
 Drama Triangle

Perscutor

Victim Rescue
•genuine
•genuine victim
rescuer (gives
(forced)
opportunity)