transactions - transactional analysis
DESCRIPTION
Development Psychology Human Resource Management Development Growth Change management Interpersonal Skills Success MotivationTRANSCRIPT
Transactions
DefinitionBerne referred to transaction as the basic
unit of social discourse.
• The opening communication is called
stimulus.
• The reply is called response.
• Transaction is a transactional stimulus
plus a transactional response.
• In the analysis of transactions, we use
ego state models to help explain what
goes on during this process of
communication.
Transactional Analysis Proper
• Transactional Analysis Proper is the analysis of ego states or self sorters in communication between people.
• It includes both verbal and non verbal, physical and symbolical, genuine and counterfeit interactions.
Adult-Adult transactions• According to Dr. Berne, the simplest
transactions are between Adults ego states.
• For example, a surgeon will survey the patient, and based upon the data before him/her, his/her Adult decides that the scalpel is the next instrument required.
• The surgeon’s Adult holds out his/her hand, providing the transactional stimulus to the nurse.
• The nurse’s Adult looks at the hand, and based upon previous experiences, concludes that the scalpel is needed. The nurse then places the scalpel in the surgeon’s hand.
Parent – Child transactions• Quoting Dr. Berne in Games People
Play: • ”The fevered child asks for a glass of
water, and the nurturing mother brings it.”
• In this, the Child of a small child directs an inquiry to the Parent of his/her mother. The Parent of the mother acknowledges this stimuli, and then gives the water to the child.
• In this example, the small child’s request is the stimuli, and the parent providing the water is the response. This is nearly as simple as an Adult-Adult transaction.
Structural diagram• One of the tools used by a
Transactional Analysis practitioner is a structural diagram. A structural diagram represents the complete personality of any individual.
• Transactional Analysts will then construct a diagram showing the ego states involved in a particular transaction.
• The transaction to the right shows a Parent – Child transaction, with the Child ego state providing the transactional stimulus, and the Adult responding with the transactional response.
Complementary transactions
Complementary transaction is the one in which the
transactional vectors are parallel and the ego state addressed is
the one which responds
Complementary transactions
• According to Dr. Berne, these
transactions are healthy and
represent normal human
interactions.
• As Berne says in Games People
Play “communication will proceed
as long as transactions
are complementary.”
Two other possibilities for complementary
transactions are
• Parent to parent.
• Child to child.
Recollect a complementary transaction in
your life with P to P and C to C
transaction.
Go ahead and draw a transactional
diagram for each.
Think of words to fit the stimulus and the
response in each case.
Activity
0 0
CP
A AS
R
FC to NP, NP to FC complementary Transaction
NP
AC FC AC FC
CP
NP
Detailed analysis of transaction by using the functional model
First rule of communication
As long as transactions remain complementary,
communication can continue indefinitely.
• Get into pairs and role
play each kind of
exchange (A to A, P to C, C
to P, FC to NP, NP to FC).
• See how long you can
keep going in a chain of
parallel transactions.
Activity
Crossed transaction
A crossed transaction is one in which the transactional vectors
are not parallel, or in which the ego state addressed is not the
one which responds.
0 0
CP
A AS
R
FC to NP, CP to AC crossed Transaction
NP
AC FC AC FC
CP
NP
Detailed analysis of transaction by using the functional model
Second rule of communication
When a transaction is crossed, a break in communication results and one or both individuals will need to shift ego states
in order for communication to be re-established.
• Make up your own example of
an A-A stimulus crossed by a C-
P response.
• Make up your own example of
an A-A stimulus crossed by a P-
C response.
• Make up your own example of
an A-A stimulus crossed by a C-
C response.
Activity
• Get into pairs and role play a conversation in which every transaction is crossed.
• Each time the other person speaks, decide which ego state she was inviting you. Get into a different ego state and respond.
• See how long you can keep up the sequence without slipping into parallel transactions.
• When you finish, discuss your experience during this exercise.
Activity
• In an ulterior transaction, two
messages are conveyed at the
same time. One of these is an
overt or social level message.
The other is a covert or
psychological level message.
• Most often, the social level
content is Adult-Adult. The
psychological level messages are
usually either Parent –Child or
Child –Parent.
Ulterior transaction
Duplex Transactions• Duplex Complementary
ulterior transactions are those in which there is more than one level of communication.
• There will be hidden messages as well as open messages.
• Normally speaking, complex transactions which takes place at two levels will be complementary because if there is a crossed transaction, the communication will stop in one way or another.
Angular Transaction
• An angular transaction is described as one in which one person gives an open message accompanied by a hidden message, and the second person gives an open message which is a response to the hidden message.
• When I offer you a transactional
stimulus, I can never MAKE you
go into a particular ego state.
• The most I can do is INVITE you
to respond from that ego state.
• To analyze any transaction
accurately, you need to
consider non-verbal clues as
well as words.
General point about transaction
Body Language• According to Dr. Berne, one
must look at how the words are being delivered (accents on particular words, changes in tone, volume, etc.) as the non-verbal signs accompanying those words (body language, facial expressions, etc.).
• Transactional Analysts will pay attention to all of these cues when analyzing a transaction and identifying which ego states are involved.
Types of communication• The importance of these non-
verbal cues can be understood by considering the work of Dr. Albert Mehrabian.
• Berne passed away in 1970, before Mehrabian’s seminal work was published. But Mehrabian’s work quantitatively proved the importance of non-verbal cues in communication.
Third rule of communication
The behavioural outcome of an ulterior transaction is determined at the psychological and not at the social level.
• Make up your own example of
a duplex ulterior transaction.
• Make up your own example of
an angular ulterior transaction.
• Get into pairs and role play a
conversation in which
transaction is duplex.
• Role play a conversation in
which transaction is angular.
Activity
• Get into pairs and role play a
conversation
• Keep the words same.
• Find out how many different
kinds of transactions you can
generate by putting in different
non verbal.
Activity
Fourth rule of communication
In any communication, the value of the communication ultimately depends on the receiver and not on the sender.
Internal Transaction
• Internal transaction is a way of describing what a person may do inside his or her head.
• Each person can shift ego states and hold a conversation between parent, adult and child inside the self.
Bulls Eye Transaction
• Bulls eye transaction
occurs when a stimulus
from one person appeals
to all the ego states
(Parent, Adult and child)
of the other person
simultaneously.
Carom Transaction
• Carom Transaction is three handed.
• One person speaks to another
while hoping to influence the third
one who can overhear it.
• For example, a man may be too
fearful to speak directly to is boss,
so says something to a co – worker,
hoping the boss will get the
message.
Diluted Transactions• These are often half hostile,
half affectionate.• The message is buried in
some form of kidding.• For example, one student may
say to another, “Hey genius, when you are going to finish that book? I want to read it.”. The other may toss the book, saying “ Here you are, butterfingers. Catch it if you can.”
Weak Transactions
• Weak transactions are those
that are superficial, perfunctory
and lack feeling of intensity.
• Such is the case if a wife says to
husband, “I wonder if we should
go out for dinner tonight”, and
he responds “ I don’t care dear.
Whatever you say, dear.”
Gallows Transaction• Any smiling response to a
person’s misfortune may serve as a gallows transaction.
• This inappropriate smile or laugh is described by Claude Steiner as the gallows transaction.
• The smile serves to tighten the noose and destructive behavior is reinforced.
Healthy Transactions
• In healthy relationships,
people transact directly,
straightforwardly and on
occasion, intensely.
• These transactions are
complementary and free
from ulterior motives.
• No one kind of transaction is
good or bad in itself.
• Stephen Karpman in his article
Options developed the idea
that we can choose to transact
in whatever way we like.
• The object is to change what is
going on and get free in
whatever way you can.
Options
• Stephen Karpman sets four
conditions that need to be met
to choose to transact.1. One or both ego states
must actually change.2. The transaction must be
crossed.3. The subject must be
changed.4. The previous topic will be
forgotten.
Options
How to change one’s ego state?There are three ways of changing ego states.1. Behavioral way – imitate behaviors which have been
identified as parental, adult and childlike.2. Phenomenological way – Separate your real self from
operating in the same ego states as your executive self and to keep it in Adult as monitor for what you are doing and then shift ego states in your executive self, first to parent, then to child and finally to adult.
3. Historical way – Use memories of childhood and make comparisons with concrete situations you had then which now seem to have some connection and then imitate a parental figure or yourself as a child, to be in the here and now.
• Think about a situation where you have felt locked into a familiar uncomfortable groove of parallel transaction with someone. Using the functional model, locate the ego states you and the other person have been coming from.
• Now work out at least four ways you could use you ego state options to cross this flow of transaction.
• From this list. Select on which is safe.
Activity
Prepared by
Manu Melwin JoyResearch Scholar
SMS, CUSAT, KeralaPhone – 9744551114
Mail – [email protected]