Why transactional analysis

People in this position have a particularly low self-esteem and will put others before them. As a result, they may be contemptuous and quick to anger. Their talk about others will be smug and supercilious, contrasting their own relative perfection with the limitation of others.

This position is a trap into which many managers, parents and others in authority fall, assuming that their given position makes them better and, by implication, others are not OK. This is, in many ways, the ideal position. Here, the person is comfortable with other people and with themself. They are confident, happy and get on with other people even when there are points of disagreement.

As a result, they remain feeling bad whilst also perceive others as bad. This position could also be a result of relationships with dominant others where the other people are viewed with a sense of betrayal and retribution. When the Child Ego comes out in a verbal manner their words may consist of baby talk and superlatives, which will also be addressed by the counselor.

The Adult ego is the part of the client that is non-threatening and interested in the activity. They will make sense of situations in a neutral stance instead of taking a biased standpoint when speaking or reacting. Although there is no guideline that the Ego State must abide by during therapy there is a way to approach life in a balanced manner which is conducted to the client in an adult to adult and trusted relationship with the therapist.

This works effectively as a treatment method because it is a language that focuses on feelings, motive behind those feelings and actual meaning. After the sessions have been finished the client will have a thorough understanding of what shaped their egos and why the new adopted states are needed in order to maintain relationships.

The patient will learn how to create relations and communicate with others so that it is not the result of what they learned as a child. Through personality theory, communication models and the observance of behavior patterns the counselor can verify what changes need to be made toward the ego so that it can be presented in a neutral manner.

Transactional Analysis is used often in group sessions for those who would like to explore their states and experiment with new ones by interacting with others. There are some critics who claim that TA may not be effective if the individual is not being open and honest during the session.

In this setting, the therapist works collaboratively with the individual. Below is an exploration of some of the key concepts of transactional analysis that a therapist will use in their work. Ego-states refer to the three major parts of an individual's personality, and they each reflect an entire system of thought, feeling and behaviour.

Our ego-states determine how we express ourselves as individuals, interact with each other and form relationships. The simplicity of the terminology used in TA makes the model very accessible. The beauty of the model is that people intuitively understand the concepts very quickly and accurately discuss which ego-state they may have been in at given times.

TA therapists recognise that we all have the potential to live the life we want, rather than the life we are programmed to live. Sometimes, however, this potential is hindered by repetitive patterns or 'unconscious scripts' that stem from childhood decisions and teachings. TA therapists use script theory to identify these unconscious scripts. These will be analysed using the ego-state model, and their identification is crucial to helping clients realise how certain permissions and prohibitions they received as a child are impacting their lives and how they communicate.

These unconscious scripts often exist as repetitive patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings - characteristics that suggest the child ego-state is overbearing and tainting other parts of an individual's personality.

When individuals communicate, their ego-states interact to create transactions. If the ego-states interact and blend in a healthy way, transactions tend to be healthier. But, sometimes ego-states can contaminate each other to create a distorted view of the world.

Transactions may be classified as straightforward, crossed-up, or ulterior, and understanding these is key to conflict resolution. Strokes refer to compliments, acceptance and recognition, which are influential in how people lead their lives. TA therapy recognises that we are greatly motivated by the reinforcement we get as children, and if this was dysfunctional, we are likely to adopt dysfunctional patterns of living as we get older.

Another motivation recognised in transactional analysis is intimacy. A complementary transaction takes place when the lines between the ego state of the sender and that of the receiver are parallel which can be seen in the image to the right. This means that whatever ego state that the sender is in, their communication reaches or impacts the desired ego state of the receiver, thus the receiver responds in a way that complements the sender's ego state instead of challenging it.

When this complementary transaction happens from adult-to-adult state, it is thought to be the best type of communication, as it is respectful and reduces conflicts. When a complementary transaction happens from the ego state of child and is received and responded to from the ego of state of a nurturing parent, it will also help to reduce conflicts and create a degree of harmony in the interaction, however you can see why this would not necessarily be the best form of interaction in a work place environment between two adults.

Or for example, in a marriage if one partner was worried about an event the other may take on a more nurturing parental state to help calm and support them, which is great, however if this is the primary mode of communication between the two then over time it would cause strain and be quite draining. Crossed transactions are when ego states of two people interacting do not match, when the ego state of the sender does not reach the desired or intended ego state of the respondent, thus they respond to the sender in a conflicting way which can be seen by the crossed over arrows in the image to the right.

In a crossed transaction it requires one or both of the people in the interaction to shift ego states for communication to be able to carry on. An example of this would be if a customer came to you complaining of their recent purchase, using very belittling language, jumping to the conclusion that this mistake had been made purposely and told you that they were going to report you, speaking to you from their critical parent state, intending you to then reply from your child ego state, such as been very apologetic, begging them not to report you, responding with anything that strengthens their authority in the situation.

However, if you were to respond from your adult or parent state instead then this would cause a crossed transaction, and someone would then have to shift their ego states to accommodate for this and so the communication can continue. TA believes that if you respond from your adult state it is more likely that the sender can then also come back into their adult state, to accommodate for the discrepancy in uncomplimentary ego states, resulting in transactions from adult to adult, which are healthier and more respectful.

Ulterior transactions are when the sender outwardly gives a message to the receiver that sounds like its coming from his adult state to the receiver's adult state. However, there is actually an underlying, subtle message given from the sender's child or parent state, with the intention of been received by the responder's child or parent state, thus two messages are sent at the same time. This can be done consciously or unconsciously by the sender.

This type of interaction is highlighted in the image showing the dashed line. The three different transactions in communication are not defined by verbal language and words alone, it also incorporates tone of voice, body language and facial expressions. The general goal or motive of TA therapy is to strengthen the adult state of the client, this is done through using skilful questioning and tools to understand what causes the client to shift into parent or child ego mode, and thus come up with helpful strategies to use in these moments to stay in their adult state instead Berne, TA believes that our childhood experiences, particularly from birth to five years, strongly effects our behaviors and our responses in social interactions, so importance is placed on our upbringing and how we were parented.

This process is also referred to as script analysis, which analyses and explores our scripts developed in childhood. Scripts are unconsciously built beliefs and views we have of ourselves, others and the world, which we developed to make sense of our internal and external environments, from early experiences and interactions. During script analysis any positive or negative reinforcements we were given as a child to behave or not behave in a certain way will be explored, along with life messages we given I.

TA can be used in short term therapy, in a brief solution-focused way, or a more in-depth long-term way, with the aim of gaining more insight into our unconscious world, and improving our relationships with others and reducing conflict. TA is versatile and can be used in individual psychotherapy, couple's psychotherapy, family counseling, and can also be helpful for other practitioners to apply to their work with clients such as nurses, teachers, and even in industries such as business or sales training.

Current research on TA appears to be promising in its ability to improve relationships and decrease conflict, improve individual life satisfaction including self-esteem, and also shows its effectiveness in aiding people at work during their interactions with clients.