Transactional analysis is a method of psychotherapy. In this method, therapists treat emotional problems by helping people analyze their relationships in social situations. Such situations are called transactions. Eric L. Berne, a Canadian-born psychiatrist, developed the method during the 1960’s. Interest in transactional analysis, or TA, was stimulated by two best-selling books–Games People Play (1964) by Berne and I’m OK–You’re OK (1969) by American psychiatrist Thomas A. Harris.
Berne regarded the human personality as consisting of three “selves”–the Child, the Parent, and the Adult. According to Berne, any of these “selves” may be in control of a person during a transaction. The Child is dependent, impulsive, fun loving, and creative. The Parent is stern and critical. The Adult is capable of logical thinking. TA is based on the idea that people can learn to use the Adult to think and make decisions for themselves.
Berne thought that transactions can be understood by analyzing games in communication. A game is a transaction in which people deceive themselves or others. For example, people who blame their problems on others may be playing a game that Berne called “See What You Made Me Do.” Berne believed that people use scripts–that is, life plans that they learn in childhood and later feel forced to act out. The games are part of the script.
