Schools of Transactional Analysis

Module 1,  Assignment 2, Schools of TA                                 Aleksandra Deu Bajt

CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF TA

The classical school of TA was founded and developed by Eric Berne and members of San Francisco seminars.  Eric Berne introduced TA as the new method of treatment in 1956 and continued to develop the theory of TA until his death in 1970. The classical school  further developed with:  Steve Karpman, (the Drama Triangle); Claude Steiner, (Script Matrix, Stroke Economy and Radical Psychiatry approach); Jack Dusay (the Egogram method);  Franklyn Ernst (OK Corral diagram of life positions); Taibi Kahler  (The Miniscript-Drivers);  Fanita English (Rackets,  Episcript) and  Richard Erskine, (Racket or Script System), who all made significant contributions to the classical   approach.

The classical approach treatment is a cognitive-behavioral approach that also addresses feelings. The  emphasis is placed on being able to diagram concepts with the purpose to facilitate Adult analysis of a problem plus stimulate the intuitive powers of the Child.  The therapy aims to bring unconscious issues into  awareness and achieve Adult understanding.  Once the client gains insight, the therapy can proceed by contracting from the Adult ego state. The contract includes changes in thinking and  behaviour which, once achieved,  lead to breaking out from the script and feeling differently.  The ultimate goal is human freedom and autonomy. The methods used by classical school therapists follow the next order:

1. Structural Analysis;  analysis of ego in terms of intrapsychic structures (P,A,C). It can give us following information about:

1. Contaminations: Adult ego state can be contaminated either by Child, Parent ,or both (double contamination). This happens when one ego state intrudes into the boundary of another (it can intrude because the boundaries between ego states are weak). When a contamination occurs, Adult ego state loses on objectivity due to intrusion of either taught beliefs or beliefs from childhood. Either Parent, Child, or both take over a part of Adult's functioning.

Example: a typical example of contamination of Adult by Parent is the use of prejudice, like ''a woman's place is in the kitchen''.

1. Exclusions: here, the boundaries are strong. Exclusion means shutting out of one or more ego states.  If more than one ego state is excluded, the remaining operating ego state is labelled ''constant'' or ''excluding''. Exclusion is never total, but is specific in particular situations.

Example:  a person with excluded Child ego state and a person with excluding Child ego state (both Parent and Adult ego states are excluded), often form a symbiotic relationship.

1. The  distribution of psychic energy:   the main ego state is the one most highly energised at a moment in time. It is called the Executive ego state which may or may not be felt as the Real Self.  Berne developed a concept  of psychic energy or cathexis which moves between ego states and its form is ever changing (from bound to unbound, to free and active).

1. Transactional Analysis Proper is a system of analyzing transactions as basic units of social discourse.  A transaction is made of transactional stimulus plus transactional response.  In transactional analysis, we use the ego state model to explain the communication between two people (or sometimes more). Transactional analysis aims to recognize ego states that operate transactions  - Parent, Adult or Child.

There are several types of transactions: complementary trannsactions, in which the ego state addressed is the ego state that responds; crossed transactions, in which the ego state addressed and the one that responds are not the same. Complementary transactions can go on indefinitely, whereas crossed transactions result in a communication break. Ulterior transactions convey two messages: one, overt or social-level message, and the other, covert or psychological-level message.

1. Game Analysis

Psychological games are played according to predeterminated, but unconscious,  rules and patterns. We can be certain that we're dealing with a game when the same series of self-defeating transactions occurs repetitively, out of Adult's awareness, is made of ulterior transactions, contains an element of surprise or confusion and ends up with players experiencing racket feelings.

Eric Berne developed a so-called Formula G analysis of games, that follows elements of games through six stages: Con+Gimmick= Response        Switch    Crossup   Payoff.[pic 1][pic 2][pic 3]

Berne used also transactional diagrams to analyze games, focusing on ulterior transactions - secret messages of both players are revealed at moment of Switch).

The Goulding – Kupfer analysis also uses a transactional game diagram with five stages: Social opener-Con (or simultaneous psychological-level message)-response to the secret message-bad feeling payoff-

The Game Plan, developed by John James, analyzes games using a set of questions that lead us through progress of the game. Laurence Collins added two ''mystery'' questions to the list.

Steve Karpmann proposed a tool for analyzing games, called The Drama Triangle in which he suggests that whenever people play games, they step into three scripty roles: Persecuter, Victim or Rescuer (who discount one another). People switch between roles during the game, switches responding to Berne's Switch in G-formula analysis.

Later, Acey Choy developed an antithesis to Drama Triangle, called the Winner's Triangle (the positions are Caring, Assertive and Vulnerable).

1. Script Analysis

The script is a pre-conscious and pre-verbal life plan that we develop in early childhood and then live out in a compulsive way.

 Understanding the script is important because we gain a way of understanding why people behave in ways they do.  When people play games they get into painful interchanges and repeat them over and over. Each payoff serves to reinforce our script. A script reinforcing thought is outside our awareness; when we are in script, we attempt to meet adult problems by re-playing infant strategies. This results in painful outcomes;  our early decisions about the life, people and the world are confirmed yet again. Each confirmation of script beliefs brings us closer to script payoff (closing scene). The script is reinforced by parents; they can't decide on it, but their script messages can have significant influence upon Child script decisions. Script analysis distinguishes verbal parental messages (counter-injuctions) from preverbal messages  (injuctions). Script matrix is used to lay out how a client received her injuctions, counter-injuctions and programme messages from parents' ego states.