A Reminder of Transactional Analysis Theory

This is a brief reminder of Eric Berne’s theories of Transactional Analysis.

Transactional Analysis is one of the most accessible theories of modern psychology. Transactional Analysis was developed by Eric Berne, and his famous ‘parent adult child’ theory is still being further developed today.

Applications
Transactional Analysis has wide applications in clinical, therapeutic, organizational and personal development, encompassing communications, management, personality, relationships and behaviour. Whether you’re in business, a parent, a social worker or interested in personal development, Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis theories, and those of his followers, will enrich your dealings with people, and your understanding of yourself.

The Roots
Throughout history, and from all standpoints: philosophy, medical science, religion; people have believed that each man and woman has a multiple nature.

In the early 20th century, Sigmund Freud first established that the human psyche is multi-faceted, and that each of us has warring factions in our subconscious. Since then, new theories continue to be put forward, all concentrating on the essential conviction that each one of us has parts of our personality which surface and affect our behaviour according to different circumstances.

Eric Berne
In the 1950’s Eric Berne began to develop his theories of Transactional Analysis. He said that verbal communication, particularly face to face, is at the centre of human social relationships and psychoanalysis.

Transactional Analysis became the method of examining the transaction wherein: ‘I do something to you, and you do something back’.

The Three Ego States
Berne also said that each person is made up of three alter ego states:

Parent
Adult
Child

These terms have different definitions in T.A. than in normal language.

Parent
This is our ingrained voice of authority, absorbed conditioning, learning and attitudes from when we were young. We were conditioned by our real parents, teachers, older people, next door neighbours, aunts and uncles, Father Christmas and Jack Frost. Our Parent is made up of a huge number of hidden and overt recorded playbacks. Typically embodied by phrases and attitudes starting with ‘how to’, ‘under no circumstances’, ‘always’ and ‘never forget’, ‘don’t lie, cheat, steal’, etc, etc. Our parent is formed by external events and influences upon us as we grow through early childhood. We can change it, but this is easier said than done.

Child
Our internal reaction and feelings to external events form the ‘Child’. This is the seeing, hearing, feeling, and emotional body of data within each of us. When anger or despair dominates reason, the Child is in control. Like our Parent we can change it, but it is no easier.

Adult
Our ‘Adult’ is our ability to think and determine action for ourselves, based on received data. The adult in us begins to form at around ten months old, and is the means by which we keep our Parent and Child under control. If we are to change our Parent or Child we must do so through our adult.

When we are experiencing a change over which we have no control there may be a tendancy to revert to childlike behaviour, particularly if we feel our bosses are talking to us from Adult mode.

Remember, it is only a theory. If it’s helpful to you, use it. If not, don’t worry about it!

You can find out more about this in Berne’s book, still in print and regualrly reprinted, Games People Play.