transactual analysis

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Jan Oliver

 Year One: Assignment One  

Assignment: Briefly define Transactional Analysis (TA) as you see it expressed in one of Eric Berne’s books, giving reference to two examples to illustrate different ways TA can be used to bring about change.

Transactional Analysis was founded by Eric Berne in the 1950’s, (i) it is one of the most accessible theories of modern psychology and is used within a wide range of applications; personal development, clinical, therapeutic and organisational to name but a few. Eric Berne developed his three ego state model Parent, Adult, Child from observing the human communication between two people, he called the speakers part as the Transaction Stimulus (agent) and the receiver and responder’s part as the Transaction Response (responder). In a therapeutic setting we analyse and examine this communication between ourself (trainee psychotherapist) and the client. The same principle we apply to all conversations though to differing degrees we examine and analyse the conversation. TA became the method of examining the transaction wherein;’ I do something to you’ and ‘you do something back’.

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Eric Berne believed that each of us is made up of three ego states. (i)

Parent: This is our ingrained voice of authority and where we have been “taught “to behave through our parents, peers, teachers and people around us.

It is where our brain plays back typically embodied attitudes and phrases which we where taught in childhood such as “how to”, “don’t lie” and “never forget”. For me the earliest taught behaviour I can recall is, “speak when only spoken to”.

This ego state is more difficult to change, though change can happen.

Adult; The adult ego state ...

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