Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Personality Structure
Each individual personality is divided into three separate and
distinct sources of behaviour
P
Parent
A
Adult
C
Child
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
The PAC represent skeletal-muscular and verbal patterns of
behaviour and feelings based on emotions and experiences
perceived by people in their early years
Parent
Nurturing
Helping and supportive behaviour
Critical
Criticism, control and punishment
Contains instructions, attitudes and behaviours handed down by
parents and significant authority figures
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Adult
Operates logically and non emotionally, problems solving, using
information to make decisions without emotion.
Child
Adaptive child
Emerges as the result of demands of authority and is marked by
passivity
Natural or Free Child
Impulsive, untrained, self loving, and pleasure seeking
The Child contributes joy, creativity, intuition, pleasure and
enjoyment.
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Structural Analysis
The identification of what element of the personality
is responding to the situation and how appropriate
that is.
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Personality Operation
Berne believed that people have the rationality and freedom to
make decisions and solve their own problems
The well adjusted person allows the situation to determine
which ego state is in control attempting to strike a balance
between all three.
Transaction
A unit of human communication or a stimulus response
connection between two people’s ego states.
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Transactional Analysis
Bill
Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Tom
P
P
A
A
C
C
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Types of Transactions
Complementary
“the natural order of healthy human relationships,” occurs when
a response comes from the ego state to which it was addressed
Crossed
When a response comes from an ego state not addressed or
not appropriate to the situation
Covert
Response which overtly appears to be directed at one ego state
but covertly is addressed at another
-sarcasm, teasing,
Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Complementary
Crossed
P
P
A
A
C
C
Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Covert
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Script Analysis
A life script is that life plan the individual’s “child”
selected early in their developmental years base mostly on the
overt or covert messages or injunctions received from the
“child” in your parents
Injunctions
Authoritative directives
Scripts are the characteristic way we structure our transactions
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Five Component Parts of Scripts
1. Directions from parents
2. Patterned personality development
3. A confirming childhood decision about identity
4. A penchant or inclination for either success or failure
5. A pattern of behaviour
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Game Analysis
Game
An ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions
progressing to a well defined predictable outcome. –
manipulation
Homeostasis
The tendency of an individual to maintain internal psychological
equilibrium by regulating his or her own intrapsychic process –
status quo –
Game playing functions to maintain homeostasis in biological,
existential, internal psychological, external psychological,
internal and external social areas
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Life Positions
I’m OK and you’re OK
- healthy
I’m not OK and you’re OK
- poor me, victim
I’m not OK and you’re not OK
- pessimist
I’m OK and you’re not OK
- its everyone's fault but
me or antisocial
personality
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Motivation
Pursuit of Strokes
Human beings need recognition, they engage in transactions to
exchanges strokes
Positive Strokes
Compliments, open affection, uninterrupted listening, praise,
positive reinforcement.
Positive strokes are usually complementary transactions
Negative Strokes
Disagreement, punishment, lack of attention, humiliation,
embarrassment
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Motivation
Maintenance Strokes
Not positive or negative but keep communication open.
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Structuring Time
The manner in which we behave in order to receive strokes
Withdrawing
Behaviour is low risk because no transaction takes place
however no strokes are received
Rituals
Prescribed social transactions – Hello – How are you
etc
Relative risk – primarily maintenance strokes without
commitment or involvement.
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Structuring Time – cont
Pastimes
Socially acceptable activities which allow transactions
Primarily maintenance strokes but may lead to positive or
negative ones – way of sizing up before commitment
Activities
Time spent dealing with the realities of the world
school, work, clubs,
Allow strokes in terms of achievement.
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Structuring Time – cont
Games
Attempts to gain strokes in a maladaptive way.
Destructive transactions
Involves complementary ulterior transactions
Intimacy
A deep human encounter motivated by genuine caring
A structured time with no withdrawal, ritual, games, pastimes or
activities
Involves greatest quality and quantity of positive strokes~
Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Dysfunctional Behaviour
Structural
Responds in ways not appropriate to the interaction or the
situation
Transaction
Uses cross transaction or ulterior transaction with others
Script
Has developed characteristic ways of interacting which leads to
life problems
Games
Conscious utilization of ulterior transactions
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Games Workers & Clients Play
1. “Yes but” – client has an excuse why any suggested
strategy won’t work
2. “I’m only trying to help you, its for your own good”
worker “its more important that I help you than
change appropriately
3. Courtroom – Worker as judge and jury
4. NIGYYSOB – Client manipulates worker into non
therapeutic behaviour
5. Gossiping – talking about people who are not present
6. Wooden leg – clients use their situations to avoid
responsibility
7. If it weren’t for you – client avoids responsibility by
projecting it to you
Therapeutic Principles and Theories
you
Therapeutic Goals
The primary goal in TA is to help the person achieve the
I’m OK you’re OK position
Behaviour Management
Use behaviour management techniques that help a person
maintain healthy interactions.
Attempt to maintain a health transaction situation
Don’t use techniques that lead to games
Frustrate client’s attempt to gain strokes though game playing –
be aware of your ego state in responding to the client
The appropriate technique will be dependent on the factors in
the situation that you are in and your understanding of the client
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Programming Focus
Structure programming goals to teach the client appropriate
ways to structure time for positive strokes
life skills, cooperative activities, social skills,
communication skills
Counselling Techniques
Structural Analysis
Transactional Analysis
Script Analysis
Game Analysis
Help clients explore potential for behaviour or action using
appropriate ego states
Therapeutic Principles and Theories
Transactional Analysis – Eric Berne
Terminology
Personality Structure
Structural Analysis
Transactional Analysis
Script Analysis
Game Analysis
Complementary Transaction
Crossed Transaction
Covert Transaction
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Therapeutic Principles and Theories