Eric Berne became famous throughout the world of psychotherapy and psychology due to his theory about the communication of people among themselves and their relationship to themselves and others. Eric Berne’s transactional analysis has been studied by many psychologists who agreed that a person lives life according to the scenario laid down in childhood. Many of the parents' words lay the stereotyped behavior of a person, this determines the quality of his life and communication. What is transaction analysis as a method of psychotherapy? What is its essence and benefit for a person?
What is Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis Theory?
It is considered to be a psychological model that displays the analysis of behavior and human interaction in the group and within itself. This theory has gained great popularity due to the availability of concepts and explanations of human behavioral reactions.
The main postulate here is that in certain circumstances a person can act depending on which of the three self-positions he takes. The first to pay attention to these positions was Bern Eric. Transactional analysis originates from psychoanalysis, therefore, it considers and studies the deep aspects of the human psyche.
For psychotherapy, an important point in applying this theory is the assertion that each person can learn to think and be responsible for his actions, trust first of all sensations and needs, make decisions and build personal relationships. From this perspective, Eric Burn's theory is a very effective method of helping a person in solving life problems.
Positions in Transactions
In this theory, the personality structure that is easy to perceive is three ego states: Parent, Child, Adult. Each of them is significantly different from the other, having a set of behavioral characteristics, thinking and feelings.
It is very important for the therapist to understand the state in which a person acts one way or another, and what can be changed in his behavior so that he can be the harmonious person that Bern Eric spoke about. Transactional analysis suggests three basic rules regarding these ego states:
- Any person by age was once small, therefore, he can do something under the influence of the child's ego state.
- Everyone (with a normally developed brain) is endowed with the ability to make adequate decisions and evaluate reality, which indicates that he has an ego state Adult.
- We all had parents or persons to replace them, so we have this beginning, expressed in the ego-state of the Parent.
Psychotherapy using transactional analysis is based on helping people to realize unproductive stereotypical behavior. The analysis of transactions that occurs with the help of a specialist helps a person become more productive in finding solutions, in realizing reality, in setting further goals.
Types of Transactions in Psychotherapy
Any interactions between people, whether verbal or non-verbal, are called transactions in the theory that Bern Eric developed. Transactional analysis within the framework of psychotherapy involves the study of human relationships, as well as the search for solutions to emerging problems.
It is important for the specialist to determine which patterns have led to difficulties in the relationship. There are two types of verbal and non-verbal interactions:
Parallel Ways of Interaction
The therapist, working with the client, determines what type of transaction was used. Parallel are a constructive type of relationship. In this case, the ego positions must match. For example, a transaction with the question "How are you?" and the answer is "All is well!" produced from the position of Adult. In this case, no interaction problems arise.
Cross Transactions
Cross-talk can provoke conflicts. This is an interaction in which an unexpected reaction occurs from a position of another ego state to a stimulus (question or appeal). For example, the question "Where is my watch?" and the answer "Where threw, there and get it!" - transaction from the position of Adult and Parent. In this case, a conflict may develop.
There are still hidden transactions (at the psychological and social levels). In this case, it is important to analyze the incentives of people communicating with each other.
Incentives in communication
For personality development, approval is important. This is one of the basic human needs. In the theory of transactional analysis, such approval or stimulus is called "stroking." Such moments in communication can be positive or negative. “Stroking” can be unconditional (just because a person is) and conditional (given for actions). The latter are just colored with emotions with the sign "+" or "-".
In therapeutic practice, a specialist teaches a person to take such incentives or not to do this, especially when they are negative. Positive conditional “stroking” is also not always appropriate to accept, as a person learns to be “good,” that is, he tries to please everyone, while infringing on himself.
It is also important to teach the client to abandon the conditions that are imposed with a positive incentive if they do not correspond to the internal positions of the person, as Bern Eric emphasized. Transactional analysis helps the client focus on creating the conditions necessary for him, where he can discover new forces in himself for making decisions and so on. In therapeutic contact, the psychologist must teach the person to accept himself, then the consultation will be successful.
Honest and dishonest transactions
The next point in the study of transactions as a method of therapy is the analysis of interactions that determine the pastime of a person. This phenomenon is called the structuring of time Eric Byrne. Psychoanalysis tends to look at it a little differently: from the perspective of defense mechanisms.
There are six ways to structure time:
- care (a manipulative way of influencing a person);
- games (a series of hidden transactions that also “unfairly” manipulate people);
- intimacy (sexual interactions);
- rituals (transactions due to stereotypes and external factors);
- entertainment (achieving certain goals for yourself);
- activities (receiving influences from others and achieving their goals).
The last three are called "honest", as they do not manipulate others. The therapist during the conversation helps to build positive transactions without manipulative behavior. Games are an influence on people's behavior. We will talk about them below.
Life scenarios of people
Each person lives according to the scenario set in childhood, Eric Burn claimed. The psychology of life scenarios of people directly depends on the positions adopted in childhood.
- Winner - a person who has achieved goals, involving others in the struggle. In the process of therapy, such people revise their life positions and manipulative games, trying to build productive transactions without negative impact on others.
- The defeated is a person who is constantly experiencing setbacks, involving others in his troubles. Psychotherapy is very important for such people. In the process of conversation and analysis of transactions, such people understand the reasons for their failures in life. Clients are trained to properly respond to problems, not to involve others in them, to try to get out of persistent problems.
- "Non-winner" - a loyal person, performing all his duties, trying not to strain the people around him. Understanding his life scenario in the process of psychotherapy, such a person makes certain decisions depending on needs and goals.
All the scenarios (for more details about them can be found in the book written by Eric Berne - “Psychology of human relationships, or Games that people play”) we get as a result of parental programming in early childhood. First, adopting them non-verbally, then using verbal messages. They are forced out of consciousness over the course of life, so a person may not have a clue what dictated his behavior. Therefore, with problems relating to life scenarios or conflict interactions, it is important to contact a therapist who knows thoroughly the theory of transactional analysis.