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What is Transactional Therapy?

Transactional Analysis (TA) is a philosophical and psychological theory formulated by Eric Berne, principally in the 1960s. It is based on the assumption that People are OK, everyone has the capacity to think and individuals can decide their own destiny.

Transactional Analysis provides a model of personality and a psychotherapeutic structure for growth and change. The key concepts in Transactional Analysis are outlined below.

Theory of Personality

Three major types of personality exist, each with different behaviour patterns, which affect how individuals interact with each other.

• PARENT
• ADULT
• CHILD

Transactions, Strokes, and Time structuring

Looks at the content, quality, and quantity of communication, (Transactions) and enables exploration of any dysfunction. This area also deals with stimulus of recognition from others. For example, why some blend into the back-ground, whilst others are the life and soul of a party.

Life Script

Eric Berne proposed that during childhood, we all 'write' a life story for ourselves, with a beginning, a middle and an end. This includes decisions around our choice of occupation, our friends and partners. This life story is revised during our years of development and experience, and we use it as a survival strategy. As adults, we are unaware of our early decisions, but we continue to unconsciously 'set ourselves up' to maintain our life story. Script Analysis exposes these early decisions to facilitate change, as our Life Script colours our behaviour during times of stress.

Discounting, Redefining and Symbiosis

These concepts are closely linked to our Life Script. Discounting occurs when a situation challenges our life script beliefs, and we 'blank out' any subsequent new information about ourselves. Redefining manifests when we feel threatened in some way, we change our perception of reality to protect our life script decisions. Symbiosis illustrates the Ego state interaction between two people, particularly evident in close relationships such as couples.

Rackets, Stamps and Games

During childhood we become aware of permitted exhibition of certain feelings, but not of others, for example, laughing to hide our anger, in a social situation. The feelings, which over-lap our authentic feelings, are termed Racket Feelings, which during adult life are felt, but not expressed and are stored as Stamps; a build up of Stamps causes stress. Game Analysis exposes these Racket Feelings, a game is evident when both interacting parties experience something unexpected or discomfort, this occurs out of awareness and once exposed, can enable behavioural changes.

Autonomy

Eric Berne specified that the main aim of T.A. is Autonomy, which describes our capacity to function in the world as adults, revising our coping strategies as new challenges arise, rather than hang on to our childhood decisions, which are not always appropriate for adult life.

To achieve Autonomy we need the following

• Awareness
• Spontaneity
• A capacity for intimacy