Transactional analysis is a theory developed by Eric Berne in the 1950s to study interactions between individuals. It views communication as occurring through three ego states - Parent, Adult, and Child. The Parent ego state represents learned behaviors from caregivers, the Adult focuses on processing information objectively, and the Child contains emotions from one's own childhood. Effective communication involves understanding which ego states are being used and balancing positive and negative strokes, which are units of recognition between individuals. Transactional analysis aims to improve interactions by analyzing complementary, crossed, and ulterior transactions.

1. Eric Berne’s
Transactional analysis
By Edison J. Delos Reyes, R.N.

2. • Transactional Analysis is a theory developed
by Dr. Eric Berne in the 1950s. (Transactional
Analysis early history here.) Originally trained
in psychoanalysis, Berne wanted a theory
which could be understood and available to
everyone and began to develop what came to
be called Transactional Analysis (TA)
• Transactional Analysis is the method for
studying interactions between individuals.

3. • Transactional Analysis is a social psychology
and a method to improve communication. The
theory outlines how we have developed and
treat ourselves, how we relate and
communicate with others, and offers
suggestions and interventions which will
enable us to change and grow.

4. • Transactional Analysis is underpinned by the
philosophy that:
• people can change
• we all have a right to be in the world and be
accepted

5. • Key Terms:
• transaction - the fundamental unit of social
intercourse.
• stroke - the fundamental unit of social action

6. Egos States.
• Berne made complex interpersonal transactions
understandable when he recognized that people
can interact from one of three "ego-states" --
Parent, Adult or Child -- and that these
interactions can occur at overt and covert levels.
Each one of the ego states in is effect a "mind
module," a system of communication with its
own language and function; the Parent's is a
language of values , the Adult's is a language of
logic and rationality and the Child's is a language
of emotions.

8. Parent ego state
• This is a set of feelings, thinking and behavior
that we have copied from our parents and
significant others.

9. • As we grow up we take in ideas, beliefs,
feelings and behaviors from our parents and
caretakers. If we live in an extended family
then there are more people to learn and take
in from. When we do this, it is called
introjections and it is just as if we take in the
whole of the care giver.
• The parent represents a massive collection of
recordings in the brain of external events
experienced or perceived in approximately the
first five years of life.

10. • For example, we may notice that we are
saying things just as our father, mother,
grandmother may have done, even though,
consciously, we don't want to. We do this as
we have lived with this person so long that we
automatically reproduce certain things that
were said to us, or treat others as we might
have been treated.

11. • Types of Parent Ego state:
– Nurturing
– critical/controlling

12. • The Nurturing parent is part of us that . . .“Takes care of” others.
• Is sympathetic part of us ------ Wants to make others feel better.
• Protects others.
• The nurturing parent acts like Florence Nightingale always wanting to help people.
• Examples . . .
• “Boy you worked hard today.”
• “Hey . . . Don’t worry about it . . . -- It could happen to anyone.”
• “Anyone can make a mistake”
• “I’ll take care of that for you.”
• Critical Parent — The critical parent is the part of us that . . . .
• Finds fault and blames others, Criticizes others
• Passes judgement , Puts others down
• Examples . . .
• “Can’t you do anything right?”
• “Your late” “Can’t we ever depend on you.”
• “You shouldn’t talk like that.”

13. nurturing
• caring and concerned and often may appear
as a mother-figure (though men can play it
too). They seek to keep the Child safe and
offer unconditional love, calming them when
they are troubled.

14. • Nurturing parent-
.“Takes care of” others.
Is sympathetic part of us ------ Wants to make
others feel better.
Protects others.
The nurturing parent acts like Florence Nightingale
always wanting to help people.
– Examples . . .
• “Boy you worked hard today.”
• “Hey . . . Don’t worry about it . . . -- It could happen to
anyone.”
• “Anyone can make a mistake”
• “I’ll take care of that for you.”

15. Critical/controlling
• tries to make the Child do as the parent wants
them to do, perhaps transferring values or
beliefs or helping the Child to understand and
live in society. They may also have negative
intent, using the Child as a whipping-boy or
worse.

16. • The critical parent is the part of us that . . . .
• Finds fault and blames others, Criticizes others
• Passes judgement , Puts others down
– Examples . . .
• “Can’t you do anything right?”
• “Your late” “Can’t we ever depend on you.”
• “You shouldn’t talk like that.”

17. • Parent cues:
– Physical - angry or impatient body-language and
expressions, finger-pointing, patronizing gestures,
– Verbal - always, never, for once and for all,
judgmental words, critical words, patronizing
language, posturing language.
• N.B. beware of cultural differences in body-
language or emphases that appear 'Parental'.

18. Adult ego state
• Close to one year of age, a child begins to
exhibit gross motor activity.
• principally concerned with transforming
stimuli into pieces of information, and
processing and filing that information on the
basis of previous experience“
• Adult allows the young person to evaluate and
validate Child and Parental data.

19. • The Adult Ego state
– Objectively deals with reality,
– Gathers information
– Organizes,
– Tests reality
– Estimates probabilities,
– Makes decisions

20. • Adult cues:
– Physical - attentive, interested, straight-forward,
tilted head, non-threatening and non-threatened.
– Verbal - why, what, how, who, where and when,
how much, in what way, comparative expressions,
reasoned statements, true, false, probably,
possibly, I think, I realise, I see, I believe, in my
opinion.
•

21. Child ego state
• set of behaviors, thoughts and feelings which are
replayed from our own childhood.
• represents the recordings in the brain of internal
events associated with external events the child
perceives. Stated another way, stored in the
Child are the emotions or feelings which
accompanied external events. Like the Parent,
recordings in the Child occur from childbirth all
the way up to the age of approximately 5 years
old.

22. • Types of child ego:
– Natural Child is largely un-self-aware and is
characterized by the non-speech noises they make
(yahoo, etc.). They like playing and are open and
vulnerable.Natural impulses and emotions of
every young children, Impulsive, Self Centered,
Pleasure loving, Anger, Fear, Happy, Affectionate,
Rebellious , Sad, Aggressive

23. – Adaptive Child reacts to the world around them,
either changing themselves to fit in or rebelling
against the forces they feel.

24. • Child cues:
– Physical - emotionally sad expressions, despair,
temper tantrums, whining voice, rolling eyes,
shrugging shoulders, teasing, delight, laughter,
speaking behind hand, raising hand to speak,
squirming and giggling.
– Verbal - baby talk, I wish, I don't know, I want, I'm
going to, I don't care, oh no, not again, things
never go right for me, worst day of my life, bigger,
biggest, best, many superlatives, words to
impress.

25. • And remember, when you are trying to
identify ego states: words are only part of the
story.
• To analyze a transaction you need to see and
feel what is being said as well.
• Only 7% of meaning is in the words spoken.
• 38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that
the words are said).
• 55% is in facial expression.

26. Strokes
• Berne observed that people need strokes, the units of
interpersonal recognition, to survive and thrive.
Understanding how people give and receive positive
and negative strokes and changing unhealthy patterns
of stroking are powerful aspects of work in
transactional analysis.
• Any recognition of another person’s presence is known
as a stroke
• A word
• A greeting
• A gesture
• A touch

27. • Eric Berne believed that every person has the
need to be recognized by others
• Types:
– Positive
– negative

28. • Positive Strokes
– A positive stroke is any recognition that is direct,
appropriate, and relevant
– Positive strokes leaves the other person feeling
alive, alert, and significant

29. • Positive Unconditional Strokes or “Warm Fuzzies”
– The best stroke is a positive unconditional stroke
– This is a stroke that says . . .
• “I like you -- you’re OK” -- No strings attached
– Positive unconditional strokes must be
• Genuine, Honest, Straight
• Examples
– “That’s a neat looking shirt you have on.”
– “I really liked the way you handled the meeting.”
– “You really know how to close a sale.”
– “I appreciate the tact you used with that customer.”
– “Boy, it is sure a pleasure to work with you.”
– “Honey, I just don’t know what I would do without you.”

30. • Listening is one of the finest Warm Fuzzies you
can give
– Active listening
– Gives feedback to the other person
– Hears the feelings as well as the words
– Concentrates on the needs of the other person

31. • Positive Conditional Strokes really say . . .
– “I like you if . . .”
– “You’re OK with me when . . .”
• Examples . . .
• “If you keep that up, you will get a big bonus.”
• “When you work like that you really contribute to the
team.”
• “Son, I am really proud of you when you dress like
that.”
• Positive Conditional Strokes are also called
“Plastic Fuzzies”

32. Negative Strokes
• Strokes can also be negative
– A put down
• An insult
• Laughing at someone
• Physical abuse
• Negative strokes are sometimes called
“Cold Pricklies

33. • People who have difficulty accumulating
enough positive strokes sometimes become
skillful at setting people up to give them
negative strokes. They become accustomed to
negative strokes.
• Negative strokes become a way of life that
makes sense to them

34. Transaction
• refer to the communication exchanges
between people. By analyzing the ego states
people are transacting from and to it is
possible to improve the quality and
effectiveness of communication.

35. • Types of transactions:
– Complementary
– Crossed
– ulterior

36. • Complementary transaction:
• This is getting a predicted response
– Both persons are often thinking in the same way
and communication is easy.
• Crossed Transactions (Communications)
– Problems usually occur in Crossed transactions,
where the other person is at a different level.
– Causes most trouble in the world.

37. • Ulterior transaction:
– A transaction that has a hidden meaning.
– Uses games