Transactional Analysis (TA) – a general reading

Compiled by Biswanath Ghosh

BACKGROUND

People vary in their occupations, hobbies, preferences. They also play variety of roles at different
times and / or the same time. People also vary in their education and culture. Whatever may be the
profession, hobbies, roles and so on, the success of a person will depend a great deal on his / her
ability to work with others, in interpersonal relationship, in group situations – in both organisational
and other social contexts. The building and maintenance of effective relationships is not easy.
Neither does it happen automatically. Human beings have more difficulty in dealing with other
human beings than with objects.

Regardless of the difficulties or otherwise, human being, whenever they come in contact with other
human beings, they interact. These interactions may be considered as a series of transactions. If
transactions are unsatisfactory to one or both parties, the relationship will be unproductive or
terminated. Transactional Analysis (TA), in simplified language, is a scientific way of
understanding and improving one’s own ego postures and interactions with others.

The history of human being is a history of relationship amongst persons. Man, from the advent of
his existence as a social animal, has lived for fostering and promoting his relationship with others in
the society. And in doing so the problem that has baffled him is the complex nature of his own self
and his counterparts in the society.

Experience shows that determining the nature of human behaviour, though very important, only
tells a part of the whole story. The other important part is the necessity to knowing the various parts
of personality of one and every individual.

In order to find out how certain set of communication pattern corresponds to the state of mind has
been brought out by empirical researches. TA, propounded by Dr. Eric Berne, a psychiatrist in the
United States, is the result of such research. TA deals with different states of mind and tries to
explain the psychological realities behind every human communication. In other words, TA tries to
explain from which set of recorded data in the mind an individual communicates of transacts. Ta
gives people a rational method for analyzing and understanding behaviour. TA provides a thought-
provoking perspective of human behaviour. Berne says an important goal of transactional analysis
is “to establish the most open and authentic communication possible between the affective and
intellectual components of personality”.

EGO STATES
Dr. Berne defines an ego state as “A consistent pattern of feeling and experience directly
related to a corresponding consistent pattern of behaviour”. Berne writes, “…in this respect
the brain functions like a tape recorder to preserve complete experiences in serial sequence, in a
form recognizable as ‘ego states’ – indicating that ego states comprise the natural way of
experiencing and of recording experiences in their totality. Simultaneously, of course, experiences
are recorded in fragmented forms…”.

His researches have revealed that all human behaviours categorically belong to three states of
mind. There cannot be any human behaviour which cannot be interpreted in terms of these three
states of mind. These states of mind are called ego states which operate as per the information /
data available / received from the brain which performs three main functions, i.e. ‘recording,
recalling and reliving’ (Penfield).

These ego states are called exteropsychic (Parent), neopsychic (Adult) and archaeopsychic
(Child). Every individual is an aggregate of these three states and this can be represented in a
structural diagram as:

P P

A A

C C

Structural diagram Simplified diagram

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Ego states have nothing to do with either ‘childish’ behaviour or mature / immature behaviour. The
point relevant is to find out how an individual’s transactions can be related to either of these three
ago states.

Transacting from a certain ego state is not role-playing and is decidedly different from role
playing. These ego states are psychological realities, what one has really been taught, what
one thought and what one felt. These are based on realities. To elucidate the concept the
following are explained.

The Parent Ego State:

For the first five years of life, approximately, every individual records in his brain the
unedited data from external events. These are imposed on every individual at the early
years of life. This is a taught concept, for example, the little boy is told not to play with fire,
he is admonished for being cruel to pets, he is forced to accept the religious practices of

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the family, he sees that the ladies at home do not smoke, and so on. The child gets
taught on do’s and don’ts of life. He also records conflicting data, told not to tell lies, but
sees parents / elderly persons in the family lying, they are told to obey orders, but they see
uncle disregarding father’s orders!

Parent Fig. 3
Ego State

The Parent ego state has got two parts: a) the Nurturing Parent (NP), and the Critical /
Punitive Parent (CP). Nurturing Parent – takes care of the child, soothes him / her, feeds,
comforts, encourages and so on. Critical Parent – rebukes the child, orders him to follow
instructions, disciplines, criticises for failing to do something and so on.

Nurturing Critical Fig. 4

Parent Parent
(NP) (CP)

PARENT EGO

VOICES Condescending

TONES Putting down, Criticising or accusing

Nurturing, Ordering

WORDS USED Everyone knows that......

You should never....., You should always.......
I can’t understand why in the world you would
ever......
POSTURES Puffed up, Super correct, Very proper

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS Frowns, worried or disapproving

looks, chin jutted out.

BODY GESTURES Hands on hips, Pointing fingers in accusation

Arms folded across chest.

The Adult Ego State:

This ego state of life is not dependent on age. In fact, this may start even at the age. In
fact, this may start even at the age ten months. In this ego state the most important
function is to intake the available data, judge and weighs those without being impulsive

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and dispassionately brings out some data using one’s intellect and thought process. This
is the thought concept of life. The adult processes data like a computer. It takes data
from Parent and Child ego states and whatever is stored in its own data bank, processes
the piece of information and gives the output, i.e. transactional stimulus / response.

ADULT DATA Comp-

EGO Fig. 5 BANK uter Fig. 6
STATE (Upgraded)

ADULT EGO

VOICES Matter of fact

TONES What is the data? What can we estimate?

Can we let each other decide?

WORDS USED How? What? When? Where? Why? Who?

Probable

POSTURES Attentive, Eye to eye contact,

Listening and looking for maximum data

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS Alert eyes, paying close attention.

BODY GESTURES Leaning forward in chairs toward other persons,

Moving closer to hear and see better.

Every person has the potential to put the Adult in executive control of the other ego states.
If freed from negative or irrelevant influence from the Parent and Child, the person is
emancipated to make autonomous decisions. When the Adult becomes the executive, a
person learns to receive more and more stimuli through the Adult. The person evaluates
before acting, takes full responsibility for personal thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and
assumes the task of determining which of the possible responses in his / her ego states
are appropriate, using that which is OK from the Parent and Child ego states.

The Child Ego State:

As child everyone is inept, dependant, and is in a total helpless condition. At this stage it
records its natural feelings, viz. happiness, sorrow, anger, grief, joy etc. It is an ego state
recordings of internal events taking place. It is the felt concept of life. What the child
feels is important and that is recorded. Every child is creative, curious; if he feels his

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 curiosity and creative hunger is being encouraged he records a huge amount of positive
data.

The Child ego state has got three parts, viz. the Adapted Child (experiences and parental
training that influence the child), the Natural / Rebellious Child (untrained infant, in the
child, the free child) and the Little Professor (creative / curious child).

CHILD Natural Adapted

EGO child (NC) child (AC)
STATE

Little
Professor (LP)

Fig. 7 Fig. 8

CHILD EGO

VOICES Full of feeling

TONES Feelings, Compliance, Rebellion

WORDS USED I’m mad at you......

Hey, great (or any words that have a
High feeling level connected with them)

POSTURES Touching, Playful, Bent down or burdened,

Self-conscious

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS Excitement, Surprise, Downcast eyes,

Quivering lips or chin, Moist eyes

BODY GESTURES Spontaneous activity, Wringing hands,

Pacing, Withdrawing into corner or moving away
from laughter, Raising hand for permission

TRANSACTIONS

Many of us feel that behavioural problems arise due to the weaknesses of the other person. Since
many feel this way about the other, something may be lacking in everyone involved in such

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situations. Therefore, we need to understand and manage ourselves, so that we can diagnose
what is going wrong in the transaction and correct it.

An exchange of social action is called a ‘transaction’. “The unit of social intercourse is called a
transaction” (Berne). Your ‘How do you do’? fetches an answer or no answer (may be a shrug or
even ignoring your question), a transaction is complete. As a unit of social action happens it is
called ‘transactional stimulus’ and a response / or no response to this stimulus is called
‘transactional response’.

Analysing transactions:

There are three types of transactions, viz. Complementary, Crossed and Ulterior. Ulterior
transactions can be divided into two parts: a) Angular transactions and b) Duplex transactions.

Communication goes on smoothly so long transactions are complementary. Mr F says, “This time
we got a wonderful long winter” and Mrs M responds, “That’s right. What an enjoyable weather. I
shudder to think about the summer!” (Please see Fig. 9) Or, say the husband is saying, “Where is
my purse, Honey”? and the wife is responding, “I have placed it inside your brief case.” (Please see
Fig. 10) Diagrammatically it would look like:

Complementary transactions

P P P P

Response
Stimulus
A A A A
Response
Stimulus

C C C C

Mr F Mrs M Husband Wife

Fig. 9 Fig. 10

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 Crossed transactions

When X initiates a communication from an ego state, intending it for a specific ego state of Y, but Y
responds from another ego state, it is a crossed transaction. There has been a misunderstanding
on the part of one or both. It may lead to an argument and an abrupt ending of the transaction.

Communication breaks down (communication will soon stop or end up in a rancour) when there is
crossed transaction. The wife says, “Didn’t I ask you to cut down your personal expenses”? and the
husband replies, “Tell me where do you think I am spending more than what is required? Let us
find out the areas and then decide.” ((Please see Fig. 11) Or, say the husband is saying, “Where is
my purse, Honey”? and the wife responds, “Can’t you take care of your own stuff? Must I find out
everything?” (Please see Fig. 12) Diagrammatically it would look like:

P P P P
Response

Stimulus
A A A A
Response
Stimulus

C C C C

Husband Wife Husband Wife

Fig. 11 Fig. 12

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 Ulterior transactions

There are communications in which both parties convey and receive two messages – overt and
covert. They are also called ulterior transactions. Typically both parties outwardly posture A – A.
But there is an underlying psychological transaction. These lock both parties into unproductive
relationships. The problem arises due to the contamination of the Adult or Child.

In an ulterior transaction, two sets of ego states operate simultaneously. Ulterior transactions have
got two varieties: angular transactions and duplex transactions.

Angular transaction Duplex transactions

P P P P

Response
Stimulus
A A A A
Social level
Stimulus
Psycho- Response
logical
C level C C Psychological C
level

Husband Wife Young man Young lady

Fig. 13 Fig. 14
Angular transaction - Duplex transaction -

The Salesman – “That is a better quality saree, Madam. Young man - “Hey, you have a
That will exceed your budget” (Social level) lovely dress” (Social level)
“You can’t afford to buy that” (Psychological level) “Hey, I like you”. (Psychological level)

The Housewife – “Let me have a look, if I like I may Young lady –“Frankly, I don’t like this dress”
go for it”. (Social level) (Social level)
“You say I can’t? I will buy that one”! “I don’t like you at all”
(Psychological level) (Psychological level)

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The awareness of one’s ego states and management of them is difficult enough.

CONTAMINATION OF EGO STATES

The ego states do not always operate separately. In fact, the Adult ego state seeks data
from both the Parent and Child ego states. These individual ego states often contaminate
one another. The following are the examples where first, the Parent ego state
contaminates the Adult ego state (see Fig. 15) and then the Adult ego state is
contaminating the Child ego state (see Fig. 16).

P P

A A

C C

Fig. 15 Fig. 16

Example:

Parent contaminating Adult Adult contaminating Child

1. Do not trust a frail man with sharp nose, 1. Don’t go to see a movie if the
they’re often sly and cunning. school declares a rainy day

2. Never present a black article as a gift 2. Fairy tales are not true, don’t
in the marriage, it is ominous. hope to meet Santa.

The clear thinking of the Adult is often spoiled by contamination. Contamination happens /
occurs when Adult ego state accepts as true some unfounded Parent beliefs or Child
distortions and rationalizes and justifies these attitudes.

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 BLOCKING (RIGID) OF EGO STATE

Rigid ego state boundaries do not permit the free movement of psychic energy. It is as
though a thick wall holds the psychic energy bound up in one ego state, excluding the
other two. This phenomenon is called exclusion. The behaviour of persons with this
problem appears rigid because they tend to respond to most stimuli with only one of their
ego states. A variation of this can be when one person turns off two other ego states.

P P P

A A A

C C C

Fig. 17 Fig. 18 Fig. 19

The Parent, excluding the The Adult, excluding the The Child excluding the
Adult and the Child ego states Parent and the Child ego states Adult and Parent ego states

RELATIONSHIPS

Human beings have a variety of objectives in their relationships. Some are stated, and
others unstated and even unconscious.

a) Stated Objectives
i) To get work done through others – the subordinates;
ii) To do work for another – the boss;
iii) To solve problems and achieve results in cooperation – with peers;
iv) To train and develop the subordinate;
v) To develop oneself;
vi) To enjoy oneself legitimately;
vii) To bring enjoyment to other.

b) Unstated / Unconscious Objectives

i) To manipulate others;
ii) To manipulate self;
iii) To be manipulated;
iv) To appreciation, notice;
v) To somehow spend, pass or kill time.

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Human needs can be described in a variety of ways. One framework is the need hierarchy
of Maslow. To understand relationships, another way of looking at it is useful. That is,
divide need into two parts:

i) Need to structure time, and

ii) Need for strokes.

Time Structure

Time management is a widespread problem. While most complain about lack of time,
people seem unable to handle free time. As nature abhors a vacuum, humans are
uncomfortable with unstructured time. They are ever ready to fall into the activity trap and
to catch others into it. Time can be structured well and utilised. Or, it can be wasted
alone, interpersonally in meetings, extended breaks, wasteful repeat work or just plain
gossip.

There are a variety of categories into which the methods people use to structure their time
are divided. One classification lists six categories:

i) Withdrawing – not being involved in the present process and cherish

something of the past and / or future
ii) Rituals – socially programmed use of time. Up to a point rituals and
postures are harmless. But in excess they are strategies for avoidance of
work and openness. Conscious, strategic withdrawal to concentrate on
serious homework is necessary. But the purpose is to come back with the
output of that homework into positive interaction. What is needed for
individual and organizational health and effectiveness is the optimal
distribution of time in work achievement, shared fund and satisfaction
through authentic relationships.
iii) Work / activities – non-creative, creative, non- productive , productive
iv) Pastimes – ways of passing time
v) Games – ongoing series of complementary, ulterior transactions
progressing towards well defined predictable outcomes
vi) Authenticity / Intimacy – a rare incident in one’s life.

From an action point of view, time structuring methods can be reduced to three main
categories:

i) Games and derivatives

ii) Work, and
iii) Authenticity

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GAMES

Games are an ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions progressing to a

well defined, predictable outcome. Descriptively, it is a recurring set of transactions,
often repetitious, superficially plausible, with a concealed motivation. Games and
derivatives are unproductive uses of time. They are also wastage of self and others as
potential human resources. They are made up of duplex transactions, with ulterior
motives and substitute satisfaction. They help people to avoid productive work and
intimate, meaningful relationships.

Games are played from the manipulative roles of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer.
These roles switch as the game progresses. Also, these games can be played from
different roles. As a guide these may be suggested:

Victim games usually reinforce a psychological position of I’m not-OK. Inadequacy

and / or depression stamps may be collected.

 Kick Me  Ain’t it Awful (about me)

 Wooden Leg  Why Does This Always Happen To Me
 Harried Executive  Love Me No Matter What I Do
 Lunch Bag  See How Hard I Try
 Poor me  Stupid
Blaming games reinforce an I’m not-OK position by acting out a You’re not-OK.
Purity and self-righteous stamps may be collected, often covering up fear.

 If It weren’t For You

 See What You Made Do?

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 Persecutor games usually reinforce a psychological position of You’re not-OK. Anger
and / or purity stamps may be collected.

 Blemish  Making Someone Sorry

 Corner  Uproar
 Now I’ve Got You, You S.O.B  Why Do You Always
 I Told You so  Ain’t It Awful (about you)
 Yes, But (a person clings on to a “problem”, pays lip  Mine is Better Than Yours
service to a variety of suggestions offered and gives  Putting Someone Down
reasons why none of them can help him solve it.  Psychiatry
Others get hooked on to his pseudo-search for a  Rapo
solution. This widespread game makes counselling,  Bear Trapper
training, consulting and all kinds of potential “helping”  Let You and Him Fight
relationships and professions difficult. The helper has
to unhook himself and the recipient

Rescuer games usually reinforce the You’re not-OK position. Purity, anger,
inadequacy, and / or depression stamps may be collected.

 I’m Only Trying To Help You

 Let Me Do It For You

Games are played to avoid or regulate intimacy, to get strokes, to collect stamps, to
reinforce psychological positions, or to reinforce psychosomatic illness. They are a bad
habit and can be given up in favour of more honest, authentic, intimate human
encounter based on the present rather than on what happened in the past. Winners try
their best to give up destructive or hurtful games.

Games can be stopped by;

a) avoiding to play the complimentary hand,

b) stopping acting phoney roles,
c) stopping discounting others,
d) stopping discounting yourself,
e) learn to accept positive strokes and give positive strokes,

STROKES

Berne’s idea of stroking emerged from the basic concept of human hunger for
recognition. ‘Stroking’ may be used colloquially to denote an act implying recognition
of another’s presence. Hence, a ‘stroke’ may be used as the fundamental unit of social
action. ‘Stroking’ may be positive and negative. The hungers for touch and recognition
can be met with ‘strokes’. Strokes can be given in the form of actual physical touch or

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by some symbolic form of recognition such as a look, a word, a gesture, or any act that
says “I know you’re there”.

Positive stroking encourages to grow into the winners they were born to be.
Discounting encourages losers. Infants who are ignored or stroked negatively are
encouraged to be losers.

LIFE SCRIPTS

A psychological script bears a striking resemblance to a theoretical script. Each has a

prescribed cast of characters, dialogue, acts and scenes, themes and plots, which
move toward a climax and end with a final curtain.

A psychological script is a person’s ongoing programme for a life drama which dictates
where the person is going with his / her life and the path that will lead there. It is a
drama an individual compulsively acts out, though one’s awareness of it may be
vague.

The drama of life starts at birth. Script instructions are programmed into the Child ego
state through transactions between parent figures and their children. As children grow
they learn to play parts – heroes, heroines, villains, victims, and rescuers and –
unknowingly – seek others to play complementary roles. When grown up, people play
out their scripts within the context of the society in which they live and which has its
own dramatic patterns.

The scripts can be:

a) Cultural scripts
b) Subcultural scripts, and
c) Family scripts.

How does scripting occur?

Scripting first occurs nonverbally. Infants almost as if they had radar, begin to pick up
messages about themselves and their worth through their first experiences of being
tortured or being ignored by others. Soon they see facial expressions and respond to
them as well as to touch and sounds. Children who are cuddled affectionately, smiled
at, and talked to receive different messages from those who are handled with fright,
hostility or anxiety. Children who receive little touch and who experience parental
indifference or hostility are discounted. They learn to feel they are not OK and perhaps
may feel like a “nothing”. Children’s first feelings about themselves are likely to remain
the most powerful force in their life dramas, significantly influencing the psychological
positions they take and the roles they play.

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Drama Triangle:

People play many roles. Out of these, one is particularly interesting and note worthy.
Some roles are:
a) A persecutor (P) – Someone who sets necessary limits on behaviour or is
who charged with enforcing a rule,
b) A victim (V) – Someone who qualifies for a job but is denied it because of
race, sex, or religion,
c) A rescuer (R) – Someone who helps a person who is functioning
inadequately to become rehabilitated and self-reliant.

Each is able to switch and play the three basic roles.

P R

V
Fig. 20

LIFE POSITIONS

During our life time all of us take one or other positions in life. The position that we take
is largely dependent on what kind of strokes we have received, both at the early stage
of life and later. To what extent a person engages in games and avoids work and
intimacy are governed substantially by the way his personality has developed. Several
forces shape his personality – heredity, environment, experiences and the level of his
initiative. He comes to take one of the four attitudinal postures towards self and others.

The life positions are shown below:

i) I’m not ok – You’re ok

ii) I’m not ok – You’re not ok
iii) I’m ok – You’re not ok
iv) I’m ok – You’re ok

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 I’M NOT OK – I’M NOT OK –
YOU’RE OK 1 YOU’RE NOT OK 2

I’M OK – I’M OK –
YOU’RE NOT OK 3 YOU’RE OK 4

Fig. 21
The first three positions are unconscious, having been made early in life. These are based
on feeling. The fourth position is based on thought, on conscious and verbal decision.

In the first position, the person feels for others care. He needs strokes from others. He
can’t do anything right. But the source of stroking is OK, even though the stroking may not
be constant. So, the feeling is ‘save and except your rearing and stroking I would not have
lived.

In the second position there is absence of stroking. Here, the Adult in the person stops
developing since without stroking no Adult can develop. The person feels that he is not OK
because he cannot do anything, but others are not OK as nothing has been done to help
him.

In the third position, in absence of strokes, if an individual can fight out his living he feels
that he is worth of living and he is OK. But he feels that others are not OK, as they did not
give him any stroke. This comes from experiencing brutality. Incorrigible criminals take this
position.

The fourth position (a mentally healthy position) speaks of ideal position where rests the
hope of the entire human race and individuals as part of that. Here the Adult ego state is
activated to use the proper ego states at the appropriate time. And thus evolves a stance
of I’m OK – You’re OK. Attaining such a position in life requires consciousness of the
different ego states and can use those in a controlled manner with the help of Adult ego
state.

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 Sl. Feelings about self Feelings about the Other Type
No
1 Negative Positive Inferiority
2 Negative Negative Nihilist
3 Positive Negative Superiority
4 Positive Positive Adjusted

Fig. 22

The first three (in Fig. 22) are maladjusted in different ways. Perhaps the worst is the
person who feels that both he and the other are basically not “okay”. He will tend to
undermine the effectiveness, satisfaction and growth of himself and the others. He will
be lucky if he gets a person of great positive disposition to overcome the negative
stance and unhook him from this nihilism. The second most unfortunate position is that
of unwarranted devaluation of self and the exaggeration of the power of others. He
needs a lot of positive strokes and reinforcement. He is liable to play the “Yes....but”
game and be paranoid. The third position is the opposite one of superiority complex.
He will give others negative strokes and himself positive strokes. He needs a
counsellor to confront him and help him appreciate and empower others. The desired
position is one of respecting and valuing self and others.

Some people tend to get locked into one of the first three positions. He then plays out
the programmed “script”. His / Her life becomes repetitive enactments of the same
script. Superficially, the details may be different. The following are typical scripts:

i) Nihilistic – Give self and others experiences of failure, frustration,

helplessness and hopelessness.
ii) Inferiority – Set up situations for feeling humiliated, collecting and
secretly enjoying the insults masochistically.
iii) Superiority – Choose relationships and partners in a way that one can
humiliate them and enjoy their submissive grovelling, sadistically.

Some suggested actions:

What are the implications of TA for you and what can you do to utilise the understanding that you have
of this important area of knowing ‘personality’?

i) Understand and accept your existing life position as the starting point.
ii) Experience the experiences of your child ego without denial and
repression. This will help to reduce impotency and rage.
iii) Allow your creative child freer expression.
iv) Empathise with the pain your Parent may be causing in another’s Child.
Reduce your dominance. First nurture his frightened Child. Second,
encourage him to experience and express his Creative Child.
v) Strengthen your Adult. Develop your competence. Keep learning and
enhancing your problem-solving skills.

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 vi) Help activate the other’s Adult. Avoid getting hooked on to your or his
Critical Parent or Destructive Child.
vii) Maintain self esteem and esteem for the other.
vii) Focus on goals and results. Be sensitive to your own and other’s signals
of games and derivatives.

Guidelines

Here are some simple rules in managing one’s own ego state:

i) Map out your own pattern of ego states:

Parent.......%;
Adult..........%;
Child..........%;
The total should add up to 100%.

ii) Develop a mix of Nurturing Parent, Adult and Creative Child suitable to you.

iii) Check yourself each time you are inclined to act from the Controlling Parent
or Destructive Child. Analyse and learn.

iii) Don’t try to be Adult 100%. You will be boring to others. Your life would be
boring to yourself.

iv) But, let your Adult be always aware that your NP and CC are coming into play.
Retain the ability to return to your Adult Ego state any time.

[This write up is a compiled one from various sources. The main references are
mentioned below.]

References:

1. “Games People Play”, Eric Berne, Penguin Books ltd, Andre Deutsch, Great Britain, 1977.

2. “I’M OK – YOU’RE OK”, Thomas A Harris, Pan Books, 1975.

3. “Born to Win”, Muriel James & Dorothy Jongeward, Signet Book, The New American Library, New York,
USA, July 1978.

4. “Everybody Wins: Transactional analysis Applied to Organisations”, Dorothy Jongeward, Addison-

Wesley Publishing Company, Philippines, 1973.
Bng/150212

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