About Transactional
Analysis ~ by Ian Stewart, Ph.D. and Vann Joines, Ph.D.
Excerpted by permission from TA Today and found on the
Southeast Institutes’ website.Transactional analysis is a theory of
personality and a systematic psychotherapy for personal growth and
personal change that was developed by Eric Berne, M.D. Among
psychological approaches, it is outstanding in the depth of its theory
and the wide variety of its applications. Transactional Analysis is
practiced worldwide and has national organizations for training and
certification in most countries.
As a theory of personality, transactional analysis gives us a
picture of how people are structured psychologically using the three
part ego-state model. Transactional analysis also provides a theory of
communication that can be extended to analyze systems and
organizations. Transactional analysis further offers a theory of human
development. The concept of life script explains how our present life
patterns originated in childhood. The concepts of Rackets and Games
provide explanations of how we may continue to replay childhood
strategies in grown-up life, even when these produce results that are
utimately self-defeating or painful. Transactional analysis provides a
complete theory of psychopathology, diagnosis, and treatment.
In the area of applications, transactional analysis offers a system
of psychotherapy that can be used with individuals, groups, couples,
and families to treat all types of psychological disorders, from
everyday problems of living to severe psychosis. It is also used in
educational settings to help teachers and learners stay in clear
communication and avoid setting up unproductive confrontation. It is
further used in management, communications training, and
organizational analysis to improve working relationships,
problem-solving, and organizational efficiency. In fact, transactional
analysis can used in any field in which there is a need for
understanding individuals, relationships, and communication. It is one
of the clearest conceptual frameworks for understanding psychological
issues and how those can be changed.
The Philosophy of Transactional Analysis
The philosophical assumptions of transactional analysis are :
People are okay. This is a statement of essence rather than
behavior. It means that each of us has worth, value, and dignity as
a human being and deserves to be treated accordingly.
Everyone has the capacity to think.
People decide their own destiny in making early script decisions
and these decisions can be changed.
From these assumptions follow two basic principles of transactional
analysis practice:
The use of contracts to provide mutual collaboration and joint
responsibility in the therapeutic or consulting process.
The use of open communication so that the client and the
practitioner both have full information about what is going on at
each step in their work together.
The Goal of Transactional Analysis
The goal of transactional analysis is the achievement of autonomy
through updating the strategies for dealing with life that we decided
on in childhood. Autonomy is defined as awaremess, spontaniety, and
the capacity for intimacy.
For further information see TA
Today: A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis by Ian Stewart,
Ph.D. and Vann Joines, Ph.D. To visit the web site of the
International Transactional Analysis Association go to
http://www.itaa-net.org .
Go Back To Mental Health Professionals
