Transactional Analysis

- Ego States
- Life Positions
- Transactions
Introduction to TA
Transactional analysis was originally developed by Eric
Berne, a psychotherapist in 1950. TA refers to a method
of analysing and understanding interpersonal behaviour.
When people interact, there is a social transaction in
which one person responds to another. The study of
these transactions between people is called Transactional
Analysis. To understand TA, structural analysis ego
states, life position and analysis of transactions should
be understood.
EGO STATES
People interact with each other in terms of three
psychological positions, or behavioural patterns,
known as ego states. Thus, ego states are a
person’s way of thinking, feeling and behaving at
any time. These ego states are: parent, adult and
child. These have nothing to do with the
chronological age of the person.
Parent Ego: The parent ego state incorporates the attitudes and
behaviour of all emotionally significant people who serve as parent
figure when an individual was a child. Characteristics of a person
acting with the parent ego include being overprotective, distant,
dogmatic, indispensable and upright. Physical and verbal clues that
someone interacting with the parent ego includes the wagging finger
to show displeasure, reference to laws and rules and reliance on ways
that were successful in the past.

Adult Ego: Adult ego state is based upon reasoning, seeking and
providing information. Person interacting with adult ego views people
as equal, worthy, and reasonable human beings. It is based on
rationality. The adult is characterised by logical thinking and
reasoning.
Child Ego: Characteristics of child ego include creativity,
conformity, depression, anxiety, dependence, fear and hate.
Physical and verbal clues that person is acting in the child
ego are silent compliance, attention seeking, etc. Child ego
state reflects early childhood conditions and experiences
perceived by individuals in their early years of life.
LIFE POSITION
You are O.K

I am O.K I am not O.K.

You are O.K. You are O.K.

I am not
I am O.K O.K.
I am O.K. I am not O.K.
You are not O.K You are not O.K.

You are not O.K

The individual’s behaviour towards other is largely based
on specific assumptions that are made early in life. Very
early in the childhood, a person develops from experience
a dominant philosophy. Such philosophy is tied into their
identity, sense of worth and perception of other people.
This tends to remain with the person for life time unless
major experiences occur to change it. Such positions are
called life-positions or psychological positions, and fall
into four categories.
I am O.K. You are O.K.

This is a rationally chosen life position. It is made after the

individual has a large number of O.K. experiences with
others. People with this position about themselves and
others can solve their problems constructively. They accept
the significance of other people and feel that life is worth
living. This is based on adult ego. When managers work
from this position, they are likely to express a more
consistent pattern of confidence and competence. They
display a much higher level of mutual give and take. They
are able to express freely what they feel good about others
because it offers little threat to them. They delegate
authority and feel comfortable with a spread of authority.
I am O.K. You are not O.K.

This position is taken by people who feel victimised or

persecuted. They blame others for their miseries. This is the
case of aggrieved persons with an attitude that what ever
they do is right. This is a distrustful life position. It usually
results when a person was too much ignored when he was a
child. These are the people with rebellious child ego. In this
life position, persons operate with parent ego. Managers
operating with this position are likely to give critical and
oppressive remarks. They tend to point out the flaws, the bad
things, rarely giving any warm, genuinely carrying feelings.
They lack trust or confidence in the intelligence, skills and
talents of others. They do not believe in delegation of
authority and feel that decentralization is a threat.
 
I am not O.K. you are O.K.

This position is common to persons who feel powerlessness

in comparisons to others. It is based on one’s feelings about
oneself. Individuals who feel a clear distinction between
themselves and the people around them who could do many
things that the individuals could not do hold this position.
Persons with this life position always grumble for one thing
or the other. Managers operating from this position tend to
give and receive bad feelings. They often use their bad
feelings as an excuse to act out against others, and then the
whole things comes full circle when they feel guilty for
their bad feelings against themselves. They tend to
vacillates in their behaviour and are often unpredictable
and erratic.
 
I am not O.K. You are not O.K.

This is a desperate life position. This position is taken by

those people who lose interest in living. They feel that life is
not worth living at all. In extreme cases, they commit
suicide or homicide. This is the case of individuals who are
neglected seriously by their parents and are brought up by
servants. Managers operating from this position are likely to
get put-down strokes from others to give them negative
reactions. The lack personal potency and to look others for
final decisions.
One of these positions dominates each person’s life. The
desirable position is one that provides an adult-adult
transaction, that is. ‘I am O.K. you are O.K’. it shows
acceptance of self and others. The adults move into the
O.K.-O.K. position can be learned through education. The
other three positions are less psychologically mature and
less effective.
TRANSACTIONS
When people interact, they involve in a transaction
with others. Thus, when a stimulus (verbal or non-
verbal) from a person is being responded by another
person, a transaction is said to occur. The transaction is
routed from ego states. Depending on the ego states of
the persons involved in the transactions, there may be
three types of transactions –

1. Complementary Transaction
2. Non complementary or Crossed Transaction
3. Ulterior Transaction
Complementary Transactions
A transaction is complementary when the stimulus and
response patterns from one ego state to another are
parallel. Thus, message by a person gets the predicted
response from other person.
The transaction is complementary because both are
acting in the perceived and expected ego states. Usually
in such a case, both persons are satisfied and
communication is complete. In all, there can be nine
complementary parent-parent, parent-adult, child-parent,
child-adult, and child-child transactions. However, out of
these, adult-adult and parent-child transactions are most
desirable.
P P
S

A A

C R C
In adult-adult transaction, the manager in the adult ego tries
to reason out issues, clarifies and informs issues and has
concern for facts and figures and human needs. His life
position is ‘I am O.K. you are O.K.’ This is the ideal
transaction. Complementary transactions in these ego states
are very effective because both persons are acting in a
rational manner. Data is processed, decisions are made and
both parties are working for solutions. Satisfaction is
achieved by both persons from solution rather than one
person (superior) treating other person (subordinate) a
dutiful employee, or the subordinate only trying to please
his superior.
P P
S

A A

C R C
Parent –child complementary transaction may be ideal if the
manager is interacting with parent ego and the employee is
acting in his child ego. The employee finds this transaction
advantageous because it eliminates much responsibility and
pressure. The child prevents much conflict and provides for
ease operations. However, this situation may not be
advantageous in the long run. This transaction depends on
the feeling that employees are not capable of doing anything.
The employee suffers from this interaction because he has to
surrender his adult ego. He may feel frustration because he
feels his personality is not developed.
Non Complementary or Crossed
Transactions

Non-complementary or crossed transactions may occur

when stimulus-response lines are not parallel. This
happens when the person who initiates transactions
expecting a certain response does not get it.
P P
S

A A

C R C
In this case, the manager tries to deal with the
employee on adult-to adult basis but the employee
respond on child-to-parent basis and the
communication is blocked. Crossed transaction is
not a satisfactory one because the line of
communication is blocked and further transactions
do not takes place. In such a case, the manager
might refuse to play parent-child game and may try
again for an adult communication. Another
alternative for the manager may be to move parent-
child state in order to resume communication with
the employees.
Ulterior Transactions
Ulterior transaction is the most complex because the
communication has double meaning. When an ulterior
message is sent, it is often disguised in a socially
acceptable way. On the surface level, the communication
has a clear adult message, whereas it carries a hidden
message on the psychological level. Ulterior transaction,
liked crossed transactions, is undesirable.
 
 Benefits of Transactional
Analysis
1. Increasing positive thinking- change from negative feelings like
confusion, defeat, fear, frustration, hesitation and pessimism to
positive feelings like clear thinking, victory, achievement, courage,
optimum fulfilment.

2. Interpersonal effectiveness – engaging in complementary

transactions for better interpersonal relations.

3. Motivating personnel – using positive non-monetary reinforces.

4. Organisation development – creating humanistic value system in the

organization.