This document discusses the concept of competitive symbiosis in transactional analysis. Competitive symbiosis occurs when two people want to take on the same symbiotic role, such as both wanting to be the parent. This can lead to jockeying for position as each tries to insist on fulfilling that role. An example given is two people competing to pay the bill at a restaurant. These exchanges are unstable and will typically end with one person backing down and accepting the complementary role, or both people storming away.