T. A. Overview
I have written about the importance of using transactional analysis to discover which of your inner voices has the main track. Our feelings come from our thoughts. So if we are basically in our inner child, we may feel inadequate, angry, abused, etc.
TA teaches us that we have inner child, inner parent, and inner adult. Each of these three mind sets also have good and bad components to each of them. The components are each of these is explained very well by Dr. Claude Steiner. Dr. Steiner’s biography is here.
The components excerpts are from this page:
(1) Ego States and Transactions: People’s interactions are made up of transactions. Any one transactions has two parts: the stimulus and the response. Individual transactions are usually part of a larger set. Some of these transactional sets or sequences can be direct, productive and healthy or they can be devious, wasteful and unhealthy.
When people interact they do so in one of three different ego states. An ego state is a specific way of thinking feeling and behaving and each ego state has its origin in specific regions of the brain. People can behave from their Parent ego state, or from their Child ego state or from their Adult ego state. At any one time our actions come from one of these three ego states.
Each of these three ego states are explained in other individual posts.
Business Balls defines the three roles (called ego states) as:
1. Parent–
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’.
2. Child–
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.
3. Adult–
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 realize, I see, I believe, in my opinion.
Modern developments for TA has been defined by several people—Claude Steiner is a recognized leader. Business balls gives these definitions:
Parent is now commonly represented as a circle with four quadrants:
Nurturing – Nurturing (positive) and Spoiling (negative).
Controlling – Structuring (positive) and Critical (negative).
Child is now commonly represented as circle with four quadrants:
Adapted – Co-operative (positive) and Compliant/Resistant (negative).
Free – Spontaneous (positive) and Immature (negative).
Adult remains as a single entity, representing an ‘accounting’ function or mode, which can draw on the resources of both Parent and Child.
A more complex and complete definition of the modern TA theory is written by Claude Steiner. He does a great job of including the evolution of ideas for this counseling method.
A quite clever diagram at changingminds.org shows the interactions of the parent, child and adult. The roles pictured here are: controlling parent (Do this. Stop that), nurturing parent (It’s OK), adult, adaptive child (No. Please), natural child (Whee. Wah!), the little professor (let’s try), and my favorite role (creative-‘free child’).
Further reading about Transactional Analysis:
A Compilation of Core Concepts
Transactional Analysis Student—the study and training aids for trainee psychotherapists and counselors
TA Tudor includes a study guide for the TA 101 course and also has 400+ handouts
