tangential transactions - transactional analysis - manu melwin joy

Tangential TransactionsTransactional Analysis

Prepared By Manu Melwin Joy

Assistant ProfessorIlahia School of Management Studies

Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114

Mail – [email protected]

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Tangential Transactions

• A tangential transaction

is one in which the

stimulus and response

address different issues,

or address the same

issue from different

perspectives.


• For example, a therapist

asks a group member:

“How do you feel?”. She

replies: “ Well, when we

spoke about this in the

group yesterday, I felt

angry”.


• With her response, she

addresses the issue of

how she feels, but from

the perspective of

yesterday instead of

today.


• At a wage negotiation, a

union representative

asks: “ What do you want

from out side so we can

conclude this

agreement?”


• The personnel manager

answers: “ We are not at all

satisfied with the

conditions you have

proposed so fare”. Here,

the issue has been shifted

from wanting to feeling

satisfied with.


• Every day conversations

are full of tangential

transactions. When

people are in situations

they perceive as stressful,

they are even more likely

to redefine in this way.


• This is not surprising,

because in stressful

situations, people are

likely to begin perceiving

threats to their frame of

reference.


• The cover purpose of

going on a tangent is to

divert the other person

away from the issue

which constitutes the

threat.


• The person who initiates

the tangential

transactions will not be

consciously aware she is.

doing so.


• Often, the other person

will follow the tangent,

rather than sticking the

original topic. He may

even go off on a further

tangent of his own.


• When people get into a

exchange of tangential

transactions, they are

likely to have an

uncomfortable sense

that their conversation is

getting nowhere.


• When people get into a

exchange of tangential

transactions, they are likely

to have an uncomfortable

sense that their

conversation is getting

nowhere or going around in

circles.


• On the psychological

level, that is exactly what

is intended.

Conversations like these

can go on for a long time.


• The participants may feel

they have been working

hard, and end up feeling

drained. By the close of their

discussion, they may have

never gotten back to the

original issue they have

intended to address.

References

Thank You