Century after the birth of Eric Berne, founder of transactional analysis

I'm still OK, you're still OK

The pursuer, rescuer and the victim, Ego State, Parent-Adult-Child, life script and racketeering, to name a few, are terms many people regularly use not knowing they stem from transactional analysis. Today, the whole century after the birth of this influential psychological theory founder, the interest in its concepts is still growing, since people are still eager to become emotionally literate and live better lives understanding themselves and those around them. This user-friendly approach enables this to those who are ready to look inside their souls


By MILENA STOŠIĆ (milena.stosic@wavemagazine.net)
from Niš, SERBIA
Translation: MILICA MARAVIĆ


Eric Lennard Bernstei (1910-1970) could be a man who changed his name to Eric Berne when he was 33. He could be a psychiatrist who followed in the footsteps of psychoanalysis. He could also be a three-time divorcee. A pursuer of intimacy. He could be a child who lost its father at the age of 11. He could be a mere black and white photo accompanying an article. But, he COULD also be a pioneer in creating important concepts about interpersonal relationships and ways of their improvement, as a prerequisite for a quality and authentic life.

Eric Berne is certainly best known as the founder of transactional analysis - the word transaction here representing the basic unit of communication between individuals. In the 1950s Berne presented one of today's best known ideas of transactional analysis - a concept entitled "I am OK, you are OK". After publishing the book "Games people play" in 1964, which became a global best-seller and is still relevant, decades after, Berne gained worldwide recognition.

- The unit of social intercourse is called a transaction. If two or more people encounter each other... sooner or later one of them will speak, or give some other indication of acknowledging the presence of the others. This is called transactional stimulus. Another person will then say or do something which is in some way related to the stimulus, and that is called the transactional response - says Berne in his book.

Games, in Berne's view, do not bear a positive connotation. He defines such games as "an ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions progressing to a well-defined, predictable outcome". They are a series of interactions between people that are superficially plausible, but contain some kind of hidden motive. The games he described are peculiarly entitled - "Yes, but", "Wooden leg", "Kick me", "I've got you, you son of a bitch" etc. Actually, the whole language of transactional analysis is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to everyone, not only professionals dealing with the matter.

As Tony White, Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA), points out in his article "Transactional Analysis - What, Where and Who" (2002), Berne 'campaigned' for patient power. What this meant was that the patient in treatment is just as important and responsible as the doctor.

Bob Avary, a transactional analyst, thinks that one of the most important of Berne's works, is where he wrote, "Transactional Analysis is essentially the study of ego states", as opposed to the study of the "Id, Ego, Super Ego" as studied by Freud and others.

- Berne disliked the idea of "long term" therapy; his goal was to find and administer a "cure" in one session - he explains for the WAVE magazine.

He developed TA as a method of 'curing' clients. He described cure as developing intimacy, awareness autonomy and spontaneity.

Not only for psychologists

The philosophy of TA is that people are OK and everyone has the capacity to think and make choices.

- I like TA because of its very practical approach to understanding human behavior and relationships. It continues to grow because of these ideas - says Bob Avary.

- I was already a practicing 'Management Consultant' when I first read the book "Games People Play" back in 1970, I think. I had an accounting background and I liked the TA approach so well, I began a three year training program to become 'Certified' - he explains.

Transactional analysis, in his words, can be useful even to the executives; it can really boost the work and profit.

- TA helps them to recognize the various games employees may play, helps them to reduce the various games they may play with their employees, helps them to find more productive ways to deal with poor behavior, helps them to improve their "stroking" relationships and to attract and retain the better employees.

Basically, apart from its counseling and therapeutic application, this theory has a broad specter of application even within organizational and corporate contexts, as well as in the field of pedagogy and andragogy.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that transactional analysis is not reserved exclusively for psychologists, psychiatrists and medical doctors, as we can see in the example of Bob Avary, our interviewee. This does not apply to Serbia, where there is still no official legal regulation regarding this and similar issues.

- The question of qualifications and practicing as a therapist is a very vexed one, to which, in my view, there is not a clear answer. In Australia anyone can practice as a therapist or counselor, a well-known Australian psychotherapist and teacher and supervisor of transactional analysis - Tony White confirms for the WAVE magazine.

- There are some very highly qualified therapists who I would not refer my dog to, as they are that bad. If I had depression and heard of someone who was good at helping then I would not care if they are qualified or not, I would just want to feel better. I think most others would do the same - he explains.

The future

It is estimated that TA today has around 10,000 followers around the world, while the number of people who, at some point, were clients or got in touch with it in some other context, is incalculable. It is practically used for personal development, as well as for solving a wide variety of life problems and disorders. It is usually stated that using this approach one successfully overcomes depression, anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, as well as dozens of everyday troubles regarding interpersonal relationships; however, the practice shows that TA methods can even get through to psychotic patients.

As stated in one revision: TA can be helpful for some patients in that it emphasizes equality between therapist and patient, discouraging prejudicial sex roles, and it de-emphasizes the victim mentality, stressing the patient's commitment to the work. However, it can be considered too intellectual, without much of the emotional outpouring than many want and expect from therapy.

At any rate, it is a fact that lots of people have found exactly this approach to be the most helpful, as well as, of course, that it is up to an individual to decide which approach or therapist to choose, in accordance with their personality and needs.

- I see the continued growth of TA because of its practical and diversified applications - concludes Bob Avary, and we could only guess that Berne would agree as well.


Links:

http://bobavary.com/
http://serbian-translations.vox.com/ - Tony White's translations into Serbian
http://www.ynot1.com.au/ - Tony White's webpage
http://www.itaa-net.org/
http://www.ericberne.com/



(Published: 12.06.2010.)