Transactional Analysis

Transaction as Unit of Social Interaction

Transaction
The unit of social intercourse is called a transaction. If two or more people encounter each other... sooner or later one of them will speak, or give some other indication of acknowledging the presence of the others. This is called transactional stimulus. Another person will then say or do something which is in some way related to the stimulus, and that is called the transactional response.

Paren t

Paren t

Adult

Adult

Child

Child

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Transaction (Contd.)

A transaction consisting of a single stimulus and a single response, verbal or non-verbal, is the unit of social action. Transactions occur simultaneously at both explicit and psychological levels. Transactions can be experienced as positive or negative depending on the nature of the strokes within them.

Types of Transaction
1) Complementary transactions
The simplest kind of transaction is the complementary transaction, where the communication of ego states with one another are parallel. As long as the transaction remains complementary, it will run smoothly, potentially forever.
Parent Parent

Adult

Adult

Child

Child

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Types of Transaction
2) Crossed Transaction A transaction where something has gone wrong - a crossed transaction. When stimulus and response cross on the P-A-C transactional diagram, communication stops. This according to Berne is the type which causes the most trouble in the world.
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Paren t

Adult

Adult

Child

Child

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Types of Transaction
3) Ulterior Transaction
Ulterior Transaction is also known as angular or two level transaction. In an ulterior transaction there are actually two sub-transactions or messages, a social one and a psychological one. The psychological message is hidden and covert while the social message is overt and easily heard. Frequently with ulterior transactions, the social message is Adult to Adult but the psychological message is Parent to Child or Child to Parent.
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Paren t

Adult

Adult

Child

Child

A1

A2

Thank You