Transactional analysis is a social psychology theory developed by Eric Berne that analyzes social interactions. It focuses on analyzing self-awareness, ego states (parent, child, adult), transactions between people, and life scripts. The ego states represent internalized recordings from early childhood - the parent ego contains rules and values learned from caregivers, the child ego contains emotions, and the adult ego allows rational analysis. Transactions between people can be complementary, crossed, or covert depending on which ego states are involved. Script analysis aims to help people and organizations recognize unhealthy life patterns learned early on so they can choose to act autonomously in the present.
2. Introduction
• Transactional analysis is a social psychology developed by Eric Berne, MD (d.1970).
• Over the last 40 years, Berne’s theory has evolved to include applications in counselling, education, organizational
development and psychotherapy.
• Transactional analysis is primarily concerned with the following:
Analysis of SelfAwareness Analysis of Ego States
Analysis ofTransactions ScriptAnalysis
Stroking Game Analysis
Analysis of Life Positions
3. Analysis of Self Awareness
What is unique about the SelfAwareness Analysis is it explores not only an individual’s ‘soft skills’ and working style
preferences but also how participants like to learn; their learning styles. In an education or business environment this
can be a great enabler for a teacher or trainer to ensure all the members of the group are motivated and able to
achieve their full potential.
The Johari window as a tool does have its drawbacks:
•Some things are perhaps better not communicated with
others.
•People may pass on the information they received further
than you desire or use it in a negative way.
•Some people or cultures have a very open and accepting
approach to feedback and some do not.
4. Analysis of Ego States
Transactional analysis (TA) is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social
transactions are analyzed to determine the ego state of the patient (whether parent-like, child-like,
or adult-like) as a basis for understanding behaviors
5. Parent Ego State
Parent –The parent represents a massive collection of recordings in the brain of external events experienced or
perceived in approximately the first five years of life. Since the majority of the external events experienced by a child
are actions of the parent, the ego state was appropriately called Parent.
Examples of recordings in the Parent include:
•“Never talk to strangers”
•“Always chew with your mouth closed”
•“Look both ways before you cross the street”
6. Child Ego State
Examples of recordings in the Child include:
• “When I saw the monster’s face, I felt really scared”
• “The clown at the birthday party was really funny!
Child – In contrast to the Parent, the Child represents the recordings in the brain of internal events associated with external
events the child perceives. Stated another way, stored in the Child are the emotions or feelings which accompanied external
events. Like the Parent, recordings in the Child occur from childbirth all the way up to the age of approximately 5 years old.
7. Adult Ego State
Adult – The Adult is the last ego state. Close to one year of age, a child begins to exhibit gross motor activity.The child
learns that he or she can control a cup from which to drink, that he or she can grab a toy. In social settings, the child can
play peek-a-boo.
One of the key functions of the Adult is to validate data in
the parent. An example is:
“Wow. It really is true that pot handles should always be turned
into the stove” said Sally as she saw her brother burn himself
when he grabbed a pot handle sticking out from the stove.
8. Analysis ofTransactions
Transactions occur when any person relates to any other person. Each transaction is made up a stimulus and a
response and transactions can proceed from the Parent, Adult or Child of one person to the Parent, Adult or Child of
another person.
Depending on the Ego states of the person involved in the transactions, there may be three types of
transactions
1) ComplementaryTransactions
2) CrossedTransactions
3) CovertTransactions
9. A complementary transaction involves one ego state in
each person. Communication can continue between two
people as long as transactions are complementary
In a crossed transaction the transactional response is
addressed to an ego state different from the one which
started the stimulus. Crossed transactions are important
because they disrupt communication.
Covert transactions occur when people say one thing
and mean another. Covert transactionsare the basis
of games and are especially interesting because they are
deceptive. They have a social (overt) and a psychological
(covert) level.
10. Script Analysis
The purpose of script analysis is to aid the client (individual or organizational) to achieve
autonomy by recognising the script's influence on values, decisions, behaviors and thereby
allowing them to decide against the script.
Berne describes someone who is autonomous as being 'script free' and as a "real person". For
organizations, autonomy is responding to the here and now reality, without discounting the
past, the present or the possibilities for the future.
A script is a complete plan of living, offering prescriptions permission and structure which
makes one a winner or loser in life.
