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

The second phase (1962-66) Transactions and games

The third phase (1966-70) Life scripts and script analysis

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

Parent ego is expressed as Nurturing parent Critical parent

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

Expressed as Natural child

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

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

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 ModelAccounting mode

"We're OK" Is able to assess reality

Possible to choose the behaviour

Able to respond appropriately

Won’t 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 Non verbal

Body language or written Unconditional (being)

Accepted for being you who are conditional (doing)

Accepted only when you are in a certain way Positive

‘I like you’ , appreciation , smiles , friendly gestures and warm touch Negative

‘I don’t like you’ anger, refusal etc……

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 child’s behaviour They establish don’ts by which children learn to live Predominantly given nonverbally at psychological level between

birth and 7 years of age Don’t, don’t be , don’t be close, don’t be separate from me, don’t be sex

you are don’t want , don’t need, don’t think, don’t feel, don’t be child, don’t grow up, don’t succeed , don’t 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 Don’t make mistakes : injunction Possible decisions

I am scared of making a wrong decision, I simply won’t decide Because I made a dumb choice, I won’t 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.

Don’t 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

Rescuer I am only trying to help you

Victim Kick me

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

Yes , but game

TA- GamesBy 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, one’s world and one’s 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, You’re OK I am not OK, You’re 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 ( You’re not OK) This person needs an underdog to maintain his/her sense of OKness

TA- Psychological Life positions I am not OK, You’re 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, You’re 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