TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

1. D6_S3_3.1 TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS Adapted from Workshop taken by Dr. Preetam Khandelwal, FMS, University of Delhi Unless otherwise indicated, this learning resource is licensed CC-BY-NC. Please attribute NUEPA, New Delhi

2. TA is concerned with four kinds of Analysis • Structural Analysis: Analysis of individual personality • Transactional Analysis: Analysis of what people do and say to one another • Game Analysis: Analysis of ulterior transactions leading to a payoff • Script Analysis: Analysis of specific life dramas that persons compulsively play out

4. The three ego states • Idea of TA originated in Eric Berne’s work (1964) • Three Ego states, put simply, are the basic ways in which people behave and react. • These states are formed in childhood and are a result of recordings of internal (feelings about events) as well as external (messages from others, information from outside sources) events

5. Three ego states defined • Child – characterized by strong emotions and desires, feelings about the events that take place in formative years. Emotions such as fear, anger, delight, joy, crying etc. not to be taken as ‘childish’ • Parent – [first 5 years]characterized by criticism, guilt and “shoulds”; all the rules and regulations that the child hears the parent say and infer from their behaviour, leads to guilt, inhibition, caution, habit, willingness (un) to change etc

6. Adult – [takes shape around 10 moths of age] beginning of child’s ability to move independently. Child is able to explore, discover and form opinions. The child is just not absorbing (Parent state) or reacting (child state) but also ANALYZING. • Adult ego state considered to be rational, mature, non-judgmental and logical (Harris 1969)

7. BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS INTUITIVE CREATIVE L.P. LITTLE PROFESSOR F.C. FREE CHILD R.C. REBELLIOUS CHILD C.C. COMPLIANT CHILD UN-INHIBITED NATURAL CHILD FIGHTING FOR RIGHT OBEDIENT RESPECTFUL CONFORMING

8. The Adapted Child ego State • When you were a young child you often had to adapt to the demands of your parents or carers. You may have learnt to be polite to others, or to be quiet when your mother or father was in a certain mood. Later in life, when you are acting on the basis of these historic and often by now unconscious memories you are in your Adapted Child ego state

9. Free Child ego state. • When you were three or four years old you also spent time laughing, splashing water, playing with paint or glue or sand, and running around. When you are older you might somehow revert to these times, and you are then in your Free Child ego state

10. Critical Parent ego state. • If you find yourself in a conversation wagging your finger at the other person, speaking in a harsh tone, pointing out what they have done wrong and telling them how they should have behaved, then almost certainly you are in a Critical Parent ego state.

11. . Nurturing Parent ego state • When you were a young child your parents also looked after you and ensured that you were safe and well. Perhaps they took your hand and explained that it was important to wait for the green man to appear on the traffic signal before crossing the road. When you find yourself years later looking to protect and look after one of your colleagues, then you may well have gone into a Nurturing Parent ego state.

12. Adult ego state • Being in an Adult ego state - focused on the here and now, looking to collaborate with others and to solve problems, thinking logically and aware of your own and other people’s emotions – is generally a very resourceful state to operate from.

13. BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS EGOSTATES VALUES SOCIAL NORMS CARING C.P. Controlling critical PARENT N.P. Nurturing BELIEFS PREJUDICES DO’S DON’TS

14. BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS REASONING FACT FINDING RATIONAL ANALYTICAL OBSERVANT OBJECTIVE OPEN-MINDED A ADULT

15. Transactions refer to the communication exchangesbetween people.

16. Kinds of Transactions Complimentary:The originator gets the kind of response he expects. Crossed: S(h)e gets a response from an unexpected ego state. Ulterior: Involves hidden messages between ego states different from the surface or apparent ones.

17. We can recognize which ego state people are transacting from to improve the quality and effectiveness of communication

18. QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

19. Managerial Styles and TA Nurturing Parent Not –OK : Patronizing style • Developing emotional dependency • Over caring in a patronizing way smothers initiative and self-confidence • When support provided in a condescending way ,manager emphasizes his superior position and power

20. Nurturing Parent OK: Supporting Style • Provides support only when necessary • Instills independent thinking and self-confidence • Subordinates know they have to fight their own battles , yet their leader is there to cheer & support them if required • Caring without developing dependency

21. Critical Parent Not –OK: Prescriptive style • Unduly critical of others • Develops norms and standards unilaterally and imposes them on others • An overly judgmental, authoritarian and controlling style • Deprives other person of his sense of self worth and self-respect • Breeds mutual distrust and hostility

22. Critical Parent OK-Normative style • Participatively develops norms • Uniformly/ fairly implement guidelines /norms of behavior • Successful if manager himself/herself follows it scrupulously

23. Adults Not OK: Task-obsessive style • An overwhelming concern about the task can make him/her insensitive to feelings of others

24. Adults Ok: Problem solving Style • Not overwhelmed by the enormity of the immediate task • Adopt problem solving approach • View each task in a broader perspective • Relaxed and enjoy work , see it as a challenge, not a threat

25. Child(little professor) Not –Ok • Tremendous capacity to think of novel, off-beat ideas but lack the perseverance to bring them to fruition Ok:Innovative style: respect for new ideas ,plan to convert them into viable projects for the organization • Generate support for their ideas & work for implementation

26. Rebellious child Not Ok: Aggressive style: • Operate from “you’re not OK “ position • Pick up fights with others on the slightest pretext Ok: Confronting Style: • Assert themselves ,confront others to safeguards the legitimate interests of their people/deptt/organization • A positive and constructive approach even while confronting or opposing others

27. Awareness of your own and others ego states gives you more choice in your communication patterns and in setting your life goals .

28. KINDS OF TRANSACTIONS

29. TRANSACTIONS • Transactions refer to thecommunication exchanges between people. • We can recognize which ego state people are transacting fromto improve the quality and effectiveness of communication.

30. Kinds • Complimentary:The originator gets the kind of response he expects. • Crossed: S(h)e gets a response from an unexpected ego state. • Ulterior: Involves hidden messages between ego states different from the surface or apparent ones.

31. Complementary Transaction • the response must go back from the receiving ego state to the sending ego state. For example, a person may initiate a transaction directed towards one ego state of the respondent. • the respondent’s ego state detects the stimuli, and then that particular ego state (meaning the ego state to which the stimuli were directed) produces a response

32. Crossed Transaction • In a crossed transaction, an ego state different than the ego state which received the stimuli is the one that responds. The diagram to the right shows a typical crossed transaction. An example is as follows: • Agent’s Adult: “Do you know where my cuff links are?” (note that this stimuli is directed at the Respondents Adult). • Respondent’s Child: “Now, you will blame me for everything!”

33. source: http://www.ericberne.com/transactional-analysis/

34. Situation 1 • An employer to the employee: “Why did you not finish this work today? It was assigned to you a week back. If you were not feeling well, you should have informed me so that I could have given this assignment to the other accountant! I am seeing that you are not focused on your work, every time you come up with an excuse.” • Scene 1: Employee to the employer: “I am sorry Sir, I should have not breached your trust. This is my mistake and today I will complete this work before leaving office!” • Scene 2: Employee to the employer: “Why do you always criticize my efficiency? I know that I am always given tasks which cannot be completed in the assigned time, you are biased towards me!”

35. P P A A C C

36. Situation 2 • Colleague A to Colleague B: “You know, I think the project that we are working on has a loophole. While discussing with other team members, I found out that there is a problem in the assembly line which you are co-ordinating. Is there a problem there? Can I offer help?” • Scene 1: Colleague B to Colleague A: “yes, I realized that there is a problem, infact yesterday, my staff told me that there is a technical issue, maybe there is a system failure. Since you are a software engineer, can you help us? I am so grateful that you came to me and offered help, thank you!” • Scene 2: Colleague B to Colleague A: “who told you about the problem, there is nothing like this? You think I cannot manage my unit, I have been working here for past 20 years. Do not interfere in my matters”

37. How will the diagram look like?

38. Modifying energies to make transaction complimentary • Colleague B to Colleague A: “who told you about the problem, there is nothing like this? You think I cannot manage my unit, I have been working here for past 20 years. Do not interfere in my matters” • Colleague A to Colleague B: “Oh! Of course I know that you have such a vast experience and I have learnt so much from you in the past 5 months. I felt I could come and ask you if there was something that I can do. Would you not offer me a cup of tea?”

39. P P A A C C

40. WAYS TO BECOME A STRONG ADULT • Learn to recognize your child • Learn to recognize your parent • Be sensitive to the child in others • Count to ten if necessary ,in order to give the adult time to process the data coming into the computer to sort out P and C from reality • When in doubt leave it out • Work out a system of values

41. Implications for Administrators • When dealing with clients/superiors/significant others • Operate in the adult and OK child ego state maximum amount of time. • Avoid transactions with customers ,clients using critical parent and not Ok Child ego state. • Recognize with which ego state the other is transacting • Identify crossed transactions as unproductive. Redirect them into healthy Adult-Adult transactions.

42. LIFE POSITIONS

43. Life Positions • I’m OK-You’re OK: A practical Guide to Transactional Analysis by Thomas Harris (1969) • Emerges at age 2-3, when the child has enough data input (parent and child states) as well as some personal exploration and findings on her own (adult state) • Based on strokes, that is physical contact and comforting behaviour

45. Strokes can be Positive or Negative POSITIVESTROKES NEGATIVE STROKES PRAISE COMPLEMENTS RECOGNITION AFFECTION REWARDS SYMPATHY CONSOLATION SELF-SATISFACTION FROM JOB WELL DONE PUT-DOWNS CRITICISM DEGRADING RIDICULE SCOLDING PUNISHMENT DISCOUNTING

46. StrokesInternal/External • “Unit of Social Recognition". The basic motivation behind communication • Positive Unconditional & Positive Conditional • Positive Unconditional & Negative Conditional • Negative Unconditional & Negative Conditional • Negative Unconditional & Positive conditional • +UC best for healthy development • _UC & no strokes undesirable/destructive • Effective Managers are able to touch& recognize others appropriately

47. Dr Preetam Khandelwal, FMS, University of Delhi

48. Stroke Economy (Steiner,1974) How we Economize on strokes and avoidgetting / giving strokes • Don’t give positive strokes too often • Don’t let others know about your good feelings towards them • Don’t ask for positive strokes, wait for them to be given

49. How we avoid getting / giving strokes • Don’t accept positive strokes. reject them if others give them to you • Don’t give yourself strokes • You must be modest about your achievements, try to underplay them

50. NEVER STOP STROKING PERFORMANCE