Transactional Analysis
• It is about analyzing and understanding human
communication.
• Transactional Analysis is underpinned by the philosophy
that people can change
• Based on psychoanalytic traditions of Sigmund Freud.
• The basic premise is that human personality is constructed
of three ego-states.
• Child ego state
• Adult ego state
• Parent ego state
These ego-states can be observed directly.
• The ego states can be predicted as behavioural states (verbal
and non-verbal) are specific to each ego-state.
Transactional analysis (Eric Berne)
Transactional analysis
A personality contains all the three states. Id
deals with instincts, ego deals with reality
and superego deals with morality.
Transactional analysis
Parent
• There are two forms of Parent we can play.
• The Nurturing Parent is caring and concerned and
often may appear as a mother-figure (though men
can play it too). They seek to keep the Child
contented, offering a safe haven and unconditional
love to calm the Child's troubles.
• The Controlling (or Critical) Parent, on the other
hand, tries to make the Child do as the parent wants
them to do, perhaps transferring values or beliefs or
helping the Child to understand and live in society.
They may also have negative intent, using the Child
as a whipping-boy or worse.
Parent ego state
Critical Parent (CP) Nurturing Parent (NP)
Words: good, nice, lovely, you
Words: you should, must, poor,
never; you cannot do that; We’ll arrange/ manage this,
that’s childish; everybody what kind of wishes do you
knows that; how could you?; have?, can I help you? Don’t
proverbs, idioms, moralising worry, don’t get angry
comments Voice: with love, smooth,
comforting, attentive,
Voice: sharp, decisive, soothing
strained, impatient, Gesture, mimicry, attitude:
patronising, dressing-down Body towards the receiver,
arms are
Gesture, mimicry, attitude: moving towards the receiver,
Point-finger arouse, eyebrow stroking the other’s hair, with
high, head trembling, understanding
shoulders stiff
Transactional analysis
Adult
• the Adult in us is the 'grown up' rational
person who talks reasonably and assertively,
• neither trying to control nor reacting
aggressively towards others.
• The Adult is comfortable with themself and
is, for many of us, our 'ideal self'.
Transactional analysis
Adult
• Words: what, why, how, where, who; correct;
practical; what are the facts?; What follows?; What
is necessary, what fits?; I conclude …
• Voice: objective, balanced, correct, monotone
• Gesture, mimicry, attitude: thoughtful, observant,
open, eye contact, upright, open-minded, interested,
perceptive, testing, concentrated
Transactional analysis
Child
• There are three types of Child we can play.
• The Natural or Rebellious Child is largely un-self-aware
and is characterized by the non-speech noises they
make (yahoo, whee, etc.). They like playing and are
open and vulnerable.
• The cutely-named Little Professor is the curious and
exploring or free Child who is always trying out new
stuff (often much to their Controlling Parent's
annoyance). Together with the Natural Child they make
up the Free Child.
• The Adaptive Child reacts to the world around them,
either changing themselves to fit in or rebelling against
the forces they feel.
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Transactional analysis
FREE CHILD
Child ADAPTIVE CHILD
Words: Great!,
nice!, great!; I
NATURAL CHILD Words: thank you,
need…; I don’t like
Words: phh; i didn’t do it; please, perhaps, I hope
…; I’m angry,
no!!; you must be joking!; so, i would like to…, I
Why me?; I won’t take don’t know, I’ll try, that’s Voice: loud, free,
that; quit that!; you’re unfair, it’s always me… energetic
nuts!; that’s none of your Voice: monotone, Gesture, mimicry,
business! humble, tearful, soft, attitude:
Voice: defiant, pleading Laughing, air-
demanding, moody, kissing, direct
Gesture, mimicry,
loud, grumbling anger, crying,
attitude: restrained,
bright-eyed, open
Gesture, mimicry, sad, pouting, closed,
mouth, lively,
attitude: dejected, hanging
excited, relaxed,
Closed up, chin and lips shoulders, downcast
playful,
forward, sprawled, glance, crossed arms
spontaneous,
stamping, pouting, and legs, shrugging,
curious, expressing
sticking the tongue out, shy, fearful, gives in
feelings
refusing, protesting easily
Human Communication
• In transactional analysis, the basic unit of
communication is termed as stroke.
• A stroke can be a look, a nod, a smile, a spoken word, a
touch. Any time one human being does something to
recognize another human being, that is a stroke. Babies
need strokes to survive.
• Strokes can be positive or negative. Most of us like
positive strokes better than negative ones.
• Positive - rewarding
• Negative - punishing
• Conditional – bound to terms and conditions
• Unconditional – anyhow the communication would remain
there and this is the first priority, the most strong
Human communication
• Transaction is defined as the phenomenon of change of
strokes.
• Two key concepts define the structure of our lives – Life
positions and scripts
• Script – the way we would conceptualize the initial years
of life, these are mostly unconsciously acquired life-
patterns.
• The script is a life plan, made when we are growing up.
• It is like having the script of a play in front of us - we
read the lines and decide what will happen in each act
and how the play will end.
• The script is developed from our early decisions based
upon our life experience.
Human communication
•Life positions – the way we would conceptualize
rest of the life
•Life positions reveal what we think of ourselves
and others
Human Interaction Analysis
• A transaction = any interaction or
communication between 2 people
• People send and receive messages out of
and into their different ego states
• How people say something (what others
hear?) just as important as what is said
• Types of communication interactions
1) Complementary
2) Crossed
3) Ulterior
Complementary ‘Transactions’
• Interactions, responses, actions regarded as appropriate and
expected from another person.
• Parallel communication arrows, communication continues.
Example 1: #1 What time do you have?
#2 I’ve got 11:15.
P P
A A
C C
Example 2:
#1 You’re late again!
P P
#2 I’m sorry. It won’t
A A happen again.
C C
Crossed ‘Transactions’
• Interactions, responses, actions NOT regarded as appropriate or expected
from another person.
• Crossed communication arrows, communication breakdown.
Example 1 #1 What time do you have?
#2 There’s a clock on the wall, why don’t you figure it
out yourself?
P P
A A
C C
Example 2 #1 You’re late again!
#2 Yeah, I know, I had a flat tire.
P P
A A
C C
Ulterior ‘Transactions’
• Ulterior – existing beyond obvious
• Overt (directly observable) and
• Covert (more at psychological level) type messages conveyed
simultaneously
• The hidden messages may be misinterpreted.
• Interactions, responses, actions which are different from those explicitly
stated
Example #1 How about coming up to my room and
listening to some music?
P P
Social
A A
level
Psychological
C level C
Transactional analysis - life positions
•
Different life positions
Transactional analysis applied -
• Psychotherapy
• Self-development
• Counseling
• Organizational set up
• Educational set up
Life-positions and employee
behaviour
