TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS (TA)

MVL Mohan Rao

Program Objectives
By the end of this program you will be able to

Define and understand theory of Transactional Analysis Identify the three ego states Parent-Child-Adult Understand the term stroke and its importance Differentiate between injunctions and counter injunctions Define decisions and redecisions Apply TA to daily life

What is TA?

Transactional Analysis (TA) is theory of personality and organised system of interactional therapy

Assumptions were made

Current decisions are made based on past premises Premises that were appropriate to our survival needs but may be no longer valid

Why TA?

The goal of TA is autonomy Autonomy is

Awareness Spontaneity Intimacy

In achieving autonomy

Capacity to make new decisions (redecide) Empower lives Alter course of lives Evolve and establish enriching relationships in both personal life and work life Can build effective teams at work place

TA- Historical Background

TA was developed by Eric Berne(1961) Developed as an extension to psychoanalysis to treat groups Dusay and Dusay (1989) further developed TA The four phases of TA

The first phase(1951-62)

Parent , Child and Adult Transactions and games Life scripts and script analysis

The second phase (1962-66)

The third phase (1966-70)

The fourth phase (1970- to present)

Cognitive factors and insight

TA-Key Concepts

View of Human Nature The Ego States The Need for Strokes Injunctions and counterinjunctions Decisions and Redecisions Games Life positions and Life scripts

TA-View of Human Nature

Humans are Social beings Influenced by social forces Influenced by the expectations and demands of significant others Known to make a habit patterns TA places faith in our capacity to make certain decisions in order to survive both physically and psychologically in life to raise above habit patterns and to select new goals and behaviour

The Ego States

Ego states are important facets of a personality

Every personality has a basic trio of

Parent Adult Child

Ego State-Parent

Parent ego state contains

Values, Morals, Core beliefs and behaviours learned from parents Shoulds and Oughts Strikingly similar to those of our parents and other significant people We may use phrases, gestures, voice and mannerisms of our parents Taught concept of our life Nurturing parent Critical parent

Parent ego is expressed as

Ego state- Adult

Adult ego state is

Processor of data Objective of the person Niether emotional nor judgmental Based on facts and external reality Thought concept of life

The Adult without passionate convictions need empathy and intuition to be resolved

Ego state- Child

Child ego state is

A set of behaviours, thoughts and feelings replayed from our own childhood; our original part Impulses, spontaneous actions Felt concept of life Natural child

Expressed as

Loveable, spontaneous , loving and charming (Positive) Impulsive, compromised (Negative)

Respond appropriately to social situations (Positive) Give up our power , discount our value, worth and dignity( Negative)

Adapted child

Contamination of Ego states

Parent Child Double

TA-Descriptive Model
Ineffective modes :
Negative Controlling Parent : "You're not OK" and is punitive. Negative Nurturing Parent : "You're not OK" message. Engulfing and overprotective. Negative Adapted Child "I'm not OK" Emotions as depression, unrealistic fear and anxiety. Negative Free Child "You're not OK" Runs wild with no restrictions or boundaries.

TA-Descriptive Model
Effective modes
Positive Nurturing Parent "You're OK". Caring and Affirming. Positive Controlling Parent "You're OK". Offering constructive criticism, whilst being caring but firm. Positive Adapted Child "I'm OK From this mode we learn the rules to help us live with others. Positive Free Child "I'm OK" Creative, Fun loving, Curious and Energetic

TA-Descriptive Model
Accounting mode
"We're OK" Is able to assess reality Possible to choose the behaviour Able to respond appropriately Wont flip into archaic or historic ways of being, thinking and behaving which are likely to be inappropriate and unhelpful

TA- Structural Model

TA- Structural Model

Ineffective modes
Criticizing Mode "You're not OK" Over-Indulging / Inconsistent Mode "You're not OK". Compliant / Resistant Mode "I'm not OK" or "I'm not OK and You're Not OK"

Immature Mode "You're not OK" message.

TA- Structural Model

Effective modes
Accounting Mode "We're OK" or "I'm OK and You're OK". Nurturing we are caring and affirming. Structuring we are caring whilst firm. Cooperative we learn the rules to help us live with others. Playful creative, fun loving, curious and energetic .

TA-Strokes

What is a stroke?

any act of recognition or source of stimulation

Humans need to receive strokes both physically and psychologically

To develop a sense of trust in the world and a basis for loving

Lack of physical contact may impair development in infant

Verbal or nonverbal signs of acceptance and recognition

A must for humans as confirmations of their worth

TA-Strokes

Strokes can be

Verbal

Through words Body language or written Accepted for being you who are Accepted only when you are in a certain way I like you , appreciation , smiles , friendly gestures and warm touch I dont like you anger, refusal etc

Non verbal

Unconditional (being)

conditional (doing)

Positive

Negative

TA- Injunctions
Injunctions are messages we send out As expressions of disappointment, anxiety , frustration and unhappiness And are issued from parents child ego state When parents feel threatened by childs behaviour They establish donts by which children learn to live Predominantly given nonverbally at psychological level between birth and 7 years of age

Dont, dont be , dont be close, dont be separate from me, dont be sex you are dont want , dont need, dont think, dont feel, dont be child, dont grow up, dont succeed , dont belong etc.

TA- Counterinjunctions

Attempt to counter the effect of injunctions They come from parents Parent ego state Given when observed children are not doing well or being comfortable Are given at social level They convey the shoulds, oughts, dos, of parental expectations

e.g.. Be perfect, Be strong , Hurry up, Please me

TA- Decisions vs Redecisions

Decisions are set of commands we give ourselves in response to parental injunctions and counterinjunctions we receive(d)

And they affect our thinking , feeling and behaving They are recorded in our unconscious brain Let us see an example

Dont make mistakes : injunction Possible decisions

I am scared of making a wrong decision, I simply wont decide Because I made a dumb choice, I wont decide on anything imp I would better be perfect if I hope to accepted

TA- Decisions vs Redecisions

TA believes that people can make substantial changes in their lives by changing their decisions- by re deciding at that moment TA assumes that anything that has been learned can be relearned Redecision frame work

Revisit or relive the scenes which made to make self limiting decisions Think possible alternative decisions could have been made Redecide e.g.

Dont grow : Injunction Decision made : I will remain child for ever Redecision : I will be the man I want to be, not the boy you want me to be

TA-Games

A game is an ongoing series of transactions between two or more people

Ends with a negative pay off that concludes And advances some way of feeling badly They are designed to prevent intimacy

Games consists of three basic elements

A series of complementary transactions that on the surface seem plausible An ulterior transaction that is the hidden agenda A negative payoff that concludes the game and it is the real purpose of the game

TA-Games

Berne(1964) described an anthology games originating from three positions Persecutor

Gotcha or Blemish I am only trying to help you

Rescuer

Victim

Kick me

Games always have some payoffs Most common payoff is support for decisions we made in the past

Yes , but game

TA- Games
By engaging in game playing

People receive strokes Maintain and defend their early decisions They find evidence to support their view of support They collect bad feelings Unpleasant feelings that people experience after playing games are known as Rackets

TA-Rackets

A Racket feeling is

Familiar expression of emotion Learned and encouraged in childhood Much similar to that of we had as children Maintained by choosing situations that will support them It is maladaptive as an adult means of problem solving

How to work on them?

One has to learn to connect between games they played as children and those one plays now. Example

How they attempted to get attention in the past? How those past attempts relate to the games they play now to get stroked?

TA- Psychological Life positions

Decisions about oneself, ones world and ones relationships to others are crystalised during fist 5 years of life They formulate into life positions and develops into life script Games are often used to support and maintain life positions People seek security by maintaining their life positions though the life position unpleasant

Once person decided on a life position , difficult to change unless there is some intervention

e.g.. Behavioural Therapy

TA- Psychological Life positions

TA identifies four basic life positions , based on Decisions made as a result of childhood experiences How people feel themselves? How they relate to others? Four Life positions I am OK, You re OK I am OK, You re not OK I am not OK, Youre OK I am not OK, Youre not OK

TA- Psychological Life positions

Four Life positions I am OK, You re OK

Game free, basic value ,dignity and worth as human beings Attitude of trust, openness, willingness and acceptance People are close to themselves and others No losers , Only winners

I am OK, You re not OK

Project their problems onto others , blame ,criticise Reinforce this position involve self-styled I am OK Projects anger, disgust and scorn onto designated inferior or a scapegoat ( Youre not OK) This person needs an underdog to maintain his/her sense of OKness

TA- Psychological Life positions

I am not OK, Youre OK

Known as depressive position Charcterised by feeling powerless in comparison with others Serve others need instead of their own and generally feel victimised They play games which support power of others and deny their own

e.g. Kick me,

I am not OK, Youre not OK

Known as futility and frustration Lost interest in life , see life as totally without promising Self-destructive, unable to cope up with the world May lead extreme withdrawal Infantile behaviour may lead to death of themselves or others

TA-Life Scripts

A personal life script is an unconscious life plan

Made in childhood Reinforced by parents Justified by subsequent events Culminating in a chosen way Nothing but basic belief system Its important to know the components of our life script Thinking , feeling and behaving

THANK YOU