Transactional analysis, developed by psychiatrist Eric Berne, is a form of modern psychology that examines a person's relationships and interactions. Berne drew inspiration from Sigmund Freud's theories of personality and combined them with his own observations of human interaction to develop transaction analysis. In therapy, transactional analysis can be used to address one's interaction and communication for the purpose of establishing and reinforcing the idea that each individual is valuable and has the capacity for positive change and personal growth.


DEVELOPING TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

Dr. Eric Berne developed transactional analysis in the last 1950s using "transaction" to describe the basic unit of social intercourse, where "transactional analysis" is the study of social interactions between individuals. His influences included contemporaries such as René Spitz, Erik Erikson, Paul Federn, Edoardo Weiss, as well as Freud and Wilder Penfield, a Canadian neurosurgeon. Inspired by Freud's theory of personality - primarily his belief that the human psyche is multifaceted and that various components interact to produce a range of emotions, attitudes and complex behavior - and Penfield's groundbreaking experiments involving the stimulation of specific brain regions with electrical currents , Berne developed an approach that he described as both neo- and extra-Freudian. Given the need to build on the philosophical concepts Freud introduced with observable data, Berne developed his own observable ego states of parent, adult and child following Freud's suggestion of the existence of id (emotional and irrational component), ego (rational component)) and Superego (moral component) as distinct and unobservable factions about personality. Berne also noted in particular the complexity of human communication. He highlighted the fact that facial expressions, gestures, body language and tone can be considered more important by the recipient than any spoken words. In his book Games People Play, he noted that people can sometimes communicate messages supported with extreme motives. Study of the egostats for transaction analysis Like Freud, Berne claimed that each individual possesses three egostats. However, his ego states - the parent, the adult and the child - do not directly correspond to Freud's id, ego and superego. Instead, these states represent the individual's internal model for parents, adults, and children. A person can assume any of these roles in transactions with another person or in internal conversation. These roles are not directly related to their typical English definitions, but can be described as follows: Parents consist of recordings of external events observed and experienced by a child from birth through approximately the first five years of life. These recordings are not filtered or analyzed by the child; they are simply accepted without question. Many of these external events probably involve the individual's parents or other adults in parental link roles, which led Berne to call this egostat "the mother." Examples of external events recorded in this state: • Don't play with matches. • Remember to say "thank you" and "thank you." • Do not talk to strangers. Adult, the final ego state, is the period in which a child develops the ability to perceive and understand situations that are different from what is observed (parent) or felt (child). The adult serves as a data processing center that uses information from all three ego states to reach a decision. An important role for the adult is to validate data stored in the parent company: • I see Suzie's house burnt down. Mom was right - I shouldn't play with matches.

COMMUNICATION ON TRANSACTIONAL ANALYTIC THEORY

Any indication (speech, movement, or other nonverbal cues) that recognizes the presence of another person is called a transactional stimulus. All transactions are initiated by means of a transaction stimulus. When two individuals encounter each other and the recipient responds in a manner related to the transactional stimulus, the person has performed a transactional response. The key to successful communication between people generally lies in identifying which ego state (in the speaker) initiated the transaction stimulus and which ego state (in the recipient) delivered the transaction response. Due to the typically rational and sensible nature of the adult, Berne believes that the easiest and simplest transactions take place between adult egostats, but transactions can occur between any of the three egostats. In a complementary transaction, the transaction response from the receiver to the sending ego status is addressed in the speaker. For example, if the adult in the speaker sends a transaction stimulus to the child in the receiver, the transaction will be complementary if the child in the receiver then sends the transaction response to the adult in the speaker. According to Bern, communication will continue if the transactions remain complementary. An intersectional transaction occurs when an ego state that did not receive the transaction stimulus sends the transaction response. Crossed transactions can lead to breakdowns in communication, which can sometimes be followed by conflict. Eg. Can an adult state in an individual send a transaction stimulus to the adult of another person asking "Have you seen my coat?" But the child of the second individual can instead send that transaction response to the parent of the first individual by replying, "You always blame me for everything!" Communication is not only considered an important aspect of everyday life, it is also considered to be an integral part of being human. Even newborns exhibit the need to be recognized and recognized. Studies conducted by Spitz showed that infants who received less cuddle, handling and touch were more likely to experience physical and emotional challenges. Bern described this innate need for social recognition as recognition hunger and defined the basic unit of social action or recognition as a stroke. From Berne's perspective, the negatively affected children in Spitz's studies exhibited physical and emotional deficits due to stroke failure. Berne applied this theory to adults and theorized that men and women also experience recognition hunger and a need for stroke. Although infants may wish for strokes that are primarily physical, an adult may be content with other forms of recognition, such as nods, flashes or smiles. While strokes can be positive or negative, Bern theorized that receiving a negative stroke is better than not having a stroke at all. For example, when someone asks another person out on a date and receives a flat refusal, that person may find the refusal as less harmful than a complete lack of recognition.


TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS IN THERAPY

The goal of transaction analysis is to help the individual in therapy gain and maintain autonomy by strengthening the adult condition. Typically, the individual and the therapist will establish a contract outlining the desired outcome they wish to achieve in therapy. This can help the person in therapy take personal responsibility for events that occur during treatment. The individual will then generally be more able to rely on their adult ego states to identify and investigate various thoughts, behaviors and emotions that may hinder the ability to thrive. The atmosphere that supports transaction analysis is one of comfort, security and respect. When establishing a positive relationship between the therapist and the person seeking treatment, this often provides a model for subsequent relationships developed outside the therapy area. Analysts who practice this form of therapy generally use a wide variety of tools collected from many disciplines, including psychodynamic, cognitive behavior, and relational therapy.