TRANSACTIONAL

ANALYSIS
Prepared by:
Jonna Mae A Ascutia
Krizzia Louise B Cabrera

Masters of Arts in Psychology

Major in Counselling Psychology
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
03 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

04 OVERVIEW OF TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

05 PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS

06 VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE

07 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS

16 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS AND RATIONALE FOR A GROUP APPROACH

17 ROLE OF THE THERAPIST

18 EVALUATION OF TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

20 REFERENCES
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
● Developed Transactional Analysis
in 1970S
● Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
● Transactional Analysis evolved out
of Berne’s dissatisfaction with the
inability of psychoanalysis to help
people solve their problems
Eric Berne
(May 10, 1910-July 15, 1970)
 TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
● Theory of personality, a language of behavior, and an organized system of
interactional therapy which suggests that one of the overriding factors in the
perpetuation of a situation is not the other person’s behavior but our own state of
mind.
● Examines a person's relationships and interactions for which is grounded on the
assumption that we make current decisions based on our early experiences.
● Emphasizes the cognitive and behavioral aspects of the therapeutic process.
● Provides an interactional and contractual approach to groups.

GOAL:
○ Autonomy - awareness, spontaneity, and the capacity for intimacy
 PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS
● People are OK

● Everyone has the capacity to think

● People decide their own destiny, and these decisions can be

changed
 VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
● Transactional analysis places faith in our capacity to rise above habit patterns and
to select new goals and behavior.

● Acknowledges that we were influenced by the expectations and demands of

significant others, especially because our early decisions were made at a time in life
when we were highly dependent on others.
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
EGO STATES (PAC MODEL) NURTURIN sympathy or support for
G PARENT others in need or distress
PARENT EGO STATE
values, morals, core beliefs, and
P behaviors that are incorporated from
parents, caregivers, teachers, or CONTROLLI
arbitrary and prohibitive
attitudes that are
parental figures NG PARENT borrowed from parental
figures
ADULT EGO STATE

A feelings, attitudes and behaviour patterns

which belong exclusively to the individual,
and which are in touch with current reality NATURAL
un-self-aware, inquisitive,
curious and often does
and relationships in the present CHILD act without thinking of the
consequences
CHILD EGO STATE
C how we behaved, thought and felt,
replayed out as we did as a child
ADAPTED
CHILD
looked briefly at how
people adapt to parental
influence
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
TRANSACTIONS
1. COMPLEMENTARY TRANSACTION. Occurs when a message from a specific ego
state gets the predicted response from the specific ego state of the other person.

EXAMPLE:
Mother: PARENT (source ego state) to CHILD
(target ego state): Please pick up your toys
Child: CHILD (replying ego state) to PARENT
(target of reply): All right, l will

MOTHER CHILD
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
TRANSACTIONS
2. CROSSED TRANSACTION. The target ego state and the replying ego state differ.

EXAMPLE:
Wife: ADULT TO ADULT (target ego state): It's
cold out. Do you want to get your coat?
Husband: CHILD (replying ego state) to parent:
Don't tell me what to do!

WIFE HUSBAND
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
TRANSACTIONS
3. ULTERIOR TRANSACTIONS. A more complicated, transaction that operates on
two levels: an overt or social level and a covert or psychological level and conveys a double set
of messages.

EXAMPLE:
ADULT TO ADULT (overt message): Is it after 11PM
already? I don’t know where the time went tonight.
PARENT TO CHILD (covert message): I want you to
know I noticed that you came in after your curfew.
Don’t expect an extended curfew this weekend!

WIFE HUSBAND
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
STROKES, INJUCTIONS AND COUNTERINJUNCTIONS
• STROKES - positive messages; social exchanges that take place between people
• PERMISSIONS/ REINFORCEMENT - the messages given when parents are excited by a
child’s behavior
• INJUNCTIONS - negative strokes; the messages expressed when parents feel threatened
by a child’s behavior
Examples: “Don’t.” “Don’t be.” “Don’t be close.” “Don’t think.” “Don’t feel.” “Don’t grow up.”
“Don’t be a child.” “Don’t succeed.” “Don’t be you.” “Don’t be sane.” “Don’t be well.” “Don’t
belong”.
• COUNTERINJUCTIONS – the attempt to counter the effect of the earlier messages when
parents observe their child is not succeeding, or not being comfortable with who they are.
Examples: “Be perfect.” “Try hard.” “Hurry up.” “Be strong.” “Be careful.”
THE NEED FOR STROKES
The need for stimulation and recognition
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
DECISIONS AND REDECISIONS
• DECISIONS - ability to become aware of decisions that govern our behavior and of the
capacity to make new decisions that will beneficially alter the course of our life. It is
important to note that a single parental injunction may foster a variety of decisions on the
part of the child, ranging from reasonable to pathological. been learned can be relearned.

• REDECISION - decision that is truly empowering. After members experience a redecision

from being in an old scene, they design experiments so that they can practice new behavior
to reinforce their redecision both in and out of group. Members typically leave group
sessions with homework assignments aimed at reinforcing the new decision.
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
RACKETS, STAMPS AND GAMES
GAME
Ongoing series of transactions that ends with a negative payoff called for by the script that
concludes the game and advances some way of feeling badly.
THREE BASIC ELEMENTS:
• a series of complementary transactions that on the surface seem plausible
• an ulterior transaction that is the hidden agenda; and
• a negative payoff that concludes the game and is the real purpose of the game.

RACKETS
The unpleasant feelings people experience after a game.
STAMP
Rackets feelings which are stored up instead of expressing it at the time
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
BASIC LIFE POSITION
1. I’m OK—You’re OK
• In this position, people feel good about themselves and others.
2. I’m OK—You’re not OK.
• Is the position of people who project their problems onto others and blame them, put
them down, criticize them and have little empathy or caring for others.
3. I’m not OK—You’re OK.
• This is known as the depressive position and is characterized by feeling powerless in
comparison with others.
4. The I’m not OK—You’re not OK.
• This is the most negative of the four positions and is known as the position of futility and
despair.
 THEORETICAL AND BASIC CONCEPTS
LIFE SCRIPTS
‘Extensive unconscious life plan’ to which people construct their activities, lives and
relationships that guide them through life.
 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS AND RATIONALE FOR A GROUP APPROACH

• Awareness is an important first step in the process of changing our ways of thinking, feeling,
and behaving

• All of us are in charge of what we do, of the ways in which we think, and of how we feel
 ROLE OF THE THERAPIST
• Pay attention to didactic and cognitive issues
• Assists clients in discovering the disadvantageous conditions of the past
• Create a climate in which people can discover for themselves how the games they play
support chronic bad feelings and how they hold onto these feelings to support their lifescript
and early decisions
• Challenge clients to discover and experiment with more effective ways of being
• Help individuals acquire the tools necessary to effect change
• Observe
• Help clients discover their inner power to change
• Help clients rethink and redecide
• Create a meaningful relationship with clients within which transformation can occur
 EVALUATION OF TA IN GROUPS
CONTRIBUTIONS AND STRENGTHS
• Accessibility as a communications skills model
• Helpful to those clients who have relationship problems
• Encourage clients to abandon outdated ways of relating to others through game playing.
• The group approach tends to make therapy cheaper for clients
• Tends to appeal to people who value a more intellectual approach.
• Emphasizes contracts as a way to guide each member’s work.
 EVALUATION OF TA IN GROUPS
LIMITATIONS
• TA group leaders could work primarily in a cognitive way and not allow enough room for
exploration of feelings.
• TA is too simplistic.
• The terminology used in TA may seem foreign to some people
• Its theory and procedures have not been adequately subjected to empirical validation
 REFERENCES
Copyright © 2007 - 2022 GoodTherapy, LLC. Transactional Analysis.
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/transactional-analysis
Counselling Skills and Theory, 4th edition. https://nscpolteksby.ac.id/ebook/files/
Ebook/Business%20Administration/Counselling%20Skills%20and%20Theory%20(2
014)/7%20-%20Transactional%20analysis.pdf
Jacobs, Ed E., Masson, Robert L., Harvill, Riley L., Schimmel, Christine J. Group
Counseling: Strategies and Skills, Seventh Edition; Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
2012, 2009
Corey, Gerald. Theory and Practice of Group Counseling; Brooks/Cole Publishing
Company Pacific Grove, Claifornia, 1985
Seligman, Linda and Reichenberg, Lourie W. Theories of Counseling and
Psychotherapy: Systems, Strategies and Skills, 4th ed. 2001
Palmer, Stephen. Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide.
Sage Publications. 2000
END OF PRESENTATION.
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