TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS FSS 2008 Zdeňka Vykoukalová Why TA? • It may help you to o Recognize how you communicate with others o Consider your options for how you can communicate differently to improve the communications you are involved in o Improve effectiveness of your communication Transactional analysis • Model of communication that can provide useful insights into ourselves and into how we communicate with others • The core idea is that we can think of ourselves as having three parts of our personality three ego states Basic ego states Basic ego states functional ego states transactions • Smallest unit of communication consisting of transactional stimulus and response • OR: exchange of strokes types of transactions • complementary types of transactions • crossed types of transactions • ulterior Communication rules • As long as transactions are complementary, communication can continue endlessly • In case of crossed transaction there is a change in communication • Result of ulterior transactions is based on psychological level Drivers injunctions allowers games Drivers • Taibi Kahler – transactional analyst who describes seven drivers / minispcripts that “drive” us throughtout our lives. They usually come as a result of our parents influence. • Mavis Klein – chose five drivers and worked with them. Made a test of drivers. Mavis Klein - Drivers Miniscript / driver test • Be perfect: 2 4 6 22 23 • Be strong: 9 12 13 15 19 21 • Please me: 1 11 14 17 25 • Try harder: 3 8 10 18 24 • Hurry up: 5 7 12 16 20 Allowers • I allow myself to be or behave in certain ways. • Allowers are fighters for harmony in ourselves. They may “soften” or “strenghten”, i.e. modify drivers: – D: Be perfect A: being perfect is not normal – D: please me and be a good girl A: Injunctions (rackets) • Evolve from anxiety, fear, insecurity, authorities • Are important part of our ego/states • Set of behavior which comes usually from childhood script in order to manipulate the environment to rather match our script than solve the problem • Goal: experience these racket feelings and feel internally justified in experiencing them Injunctions (rackets) Mr & Mrs Gouldings • Don’t be. • Don’t be yourself. • Don’t be a child. • Don’t grow up. • Don’t make it. • Don’t (act). • Don’t be important. • Don’t belong. • Don’t be close. • Don’t be healthy. • Don’t think. • Don’t feel • ….What else??? Life script • Script is how we navigate and what we look for in our life • We are partially aware of and it is confirmed by a variety of situations, which reassure us in experiencing them. • Manifested in situations of pressure, manipulation, threat. • Narrows our decision making, choices and alternatives. • Is decided upon in childhood in response to perceptions of the world and as a means of living with and making sense of the world. • Reinforced by parents (or other influential figures and experiences). Life script • Winner • Successful person • Conqueror • Pursuer/chaser • Loser • Defender • Instigator/provocateur • Critique • Clever Dick • Victim • Rescuer • Advisor • Observer • Judge • Hero • Happy person Games people play Eric Berne basic features of games • A game is an ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions which leads to a well-defined, predictable outcome. • Patterns: we learn them as children and then we follow them in the future. Payoffs • Superficial contact with others, time filling • Avoidance of intimacy, responsibility and risk (of directly asking for stroke) • Spending time in socially acceptable way “with friends” • Way of avoiding bad feelings Childhood games • Older brother = stalking horse/cat’s paw • “he did… she did…” • “Mum, he… • “So, what?” • I do it for your good • Yes, but… • Because of you… • “Good girl” Parent children games • Yea, but… • I do it for your good. • Because of you… • I mean it well to you. Adult games / with myself • ? Yes, but… Yes, but… • “I’m bored with my studies.” • “So why don’t you change it?” • “Well, but I’m in the 3rd year and I don’t want to lose all that time.” • “So why don’t you enroll more interesting courses?” • “Yes, but I have to go to the compulsory ones and there are a lot of them and then I don’t have any free time left.” • “I’m sure that you could find at least some that are OK.” • “Yes, but they are always full.” • “Always?” • “And if they are not they are usually at times of the compulsory courses I have to attend. • “So why don’t you talk to your teachers about it?” • “Because I hardly see them and they are always busy.” Analysis • What keeps happening? – What is the theme of what keeps happening? – How does it start? – What then? – … (1^st mystery question) – And then? – … (2^nd mystery question) – How does it end? – What do you end up feeling? – What do you imagine “they” end up feeling? Mystery questions • What was your secret message to the other person? • What was their secret message to you? Yes, but… Analysis • Thesis: see if you can find a solution I can’t find fault with. • Aim: reassurance • Roles: helpless person, advisers • Social paradigm: adult – adult • Psychological paradigm: parent – child • Advantages: ??? Game levels • Soft: acceptable by society, may be pleasant • Hard: “behind the door” • Tragic: ends in the courtroom, hospital, prison, cemetery Thesaurus of games • life games • marital games • party games • sexual games • underworld games • consulting room games • good games How to handle a game • avoid it if you don’t like it (ignore a bait) • play it and later analyse it • offer alternative • confront the players with the fact they have been playing (with the game) Final assignment • Write an essay focused on application of transactional analysis and Eric Berne’s book Games People Play. Choose among following topics: • Games I play with people around me, • Games I play with myself (body with soul, with conscience) • Games someone I know well play • TA study from social environment (e.g.media), could be an interview, should analyse transactionas and games in it • Lenght: minimum 3 pages • Deadline: 30th of December Good luck with your games! Zdenka Vykoukalová