|
Transactional analysis,
commonly known as TA to its adherents, is a
psychoanalytic theory of psychology developed by psychiatrist Eric Berne during
the late 1950s.
Revising Freud's concept of the human psyche as composed of the Superego, the Ego and the Id, Berne postulated instead three "ego states", the Parent, Adult and Child states, which were largely shaped through childhood experiences.
Unhealthy childhood experiences could damage the Child or Parent ego states, which would bring discomfort to an individual and/or others, in a variety of forms including many types of mental illness.
Berne considered how individuals interact with one another, and how the ego states affected each set of transactions. Unproductive or counterproductive transactions were considered to be signs of ego state problems. Analysing these transactions, according to the person's individual developmental history, would enable the person to "get better". Berne thought that virtually everyone has something problematic about their ego states and that negative behaviour would not be addressed by 'treating' only the problematic individual.
Berne identified a typology of common counterproductive social interactions, identifying these as "games".
Please visit here for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transactional_Analysis
| 
