Transactional analysis
From WikEd
[1] Transactional Analysis is a social-pyschology developed by Eric BerneWikipedia's Berne and based losely on the theories of Sigmund Freud. Wikipedia's Freud
Definitions of Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis is a method of understanding people's behaviour by analysing the 'transactions' or interactions which transpire between people. It was developed in the 1950's using a framework based on Freud, though it deviated from his ideas in several areas.
Transactional Analysis was a psychological research method that focused on social interactions and analysis of relationships of individuals. It was a dominant school of psychology in the 1960's and was popularized in the book I'm OK, You're OK.
This theory describes the three ego states (Parent, Adult and Child) which coexist in all personalities. The therapy enables clients to become aware of these components of their individual personality, and to understand in which ego state they are functioning in their interactions (transactions) with other people. The goal is to help clients change feelings and behaviors that were formed in childhood that now hinder their development.
Transactional Analysis is underpinned by the philosophy that:
1. People can change 2. We all have a right to be in the world and be accepted
Transactional analysis is a contractual approach where both parties must agree to five separate conditions.
1. Why they want something 2. With whom 3. What they are going to do 4. By when 5. any fees, payment or exchanges there will be
In summary contracts need to be: measurable, manageable and motivational. Measurable means that the goals need to be tangible. That each party involved in the contract will be able to say in advance how they will know when the goal has been achieved. The goal will be specific and behavioural and clearly defined. The contract will also need to be manageable and feasible for all those concerned.- www.businessballs.com/trasactionalanalysis.htm
I assume for school children Berne would recommend setting up contracts with children for each project, writing, reading, or what ever the educational activity might be. Students should understand why they need to write the research paper, who they are writing the research paper for, what they are going to write the research paper about, by when, and how they will transmit the paper to the teacher. The contract might look something like what follows.
1. To gain profieceny in reading and writing students will research and
write a paper about transactional analysis.
2. The student will be responsible for researching the topic and writing the paper with help from one other classmate
3. They will collaborate and create a research paper roughly 3 pages in
length.
4. The paper must be completed by November 24th, 2004 at 4:00 P.M.
5. No fees, payments or exchanges will be made, but a grade will be handed
out.
Ego States
Berne developed three ego states to explain how the human being is made up and how he relates to other people. These three ego states are Parent Ego State, Adult Ego State, and Child Ego State. The ideal ego state for Berne is the Adult Ego state, those who live in the adult ego state are able to direct responses to the here and now. Those in the adult ego state are able to interact with the world in ways that are not influenced by our Parent Ego states or our Child Ego States.
Definition of Parent Ego State- a set of feelings, thinking, and behavior that we have copied from parents or guardians.
Definition of Adult Ego State- the ego state that is responsible for the here and now, it acts as a mediator between the Parent Ego State and the Child Ego State and when it can keep the two in balance allows people to act with confidence and behave in positive manners
Definition of Child Ego State- these are behaviors, thoughts and feelings both positive and negative which are replayed from childhood. These feeling can cause us to feel good or bad about ourselves in an irrational manner if not controled by the Adult Ego State.
The method for analyzing the three states for contamination is called Sturctural Analysis. Contamination can come from either the 'Parent Ego State' or the 'Child Ego State' or both at the same time. The transactional analysist would call this either single or double contamination. After discovering the source of contamination the therapist would examine, ask questions, and suggest ways the person being examined could deal with the problems being caused.
Applications in Schools
One of the more interesting and effective ideas for classroom management came from transactional analysis theorists. The idea of peer mediation in schools comes from this line of theory. Transactional Analysists believe much misbehavior in schools is caused because of conflict between individuals. They have developed a system of peer mediation to help students solve problems between themselves before it becomes a major behavior problems in the school. This can be a powerful tool for educators seeking to empower students to solve their problems in a peaceful manner.
Communication Using Transactional Analysis
Complementary Transaction
Example Student: I am sorry that I didn't complete my homework, but I was at the hospital all night long because my dad broke his leg and needed to go the ER. Teacher: Thank you for explaining. We will work out another time for you to complete the assignment. The student from the Adult Ego State addresses the Teacher's Adult Ego State and the teacher responds from their Adult Ego State. Here the transactional vectors are parallel. The teacher and the student are complementing each others' conversation.
Crossed Transaction
Example Student: I am really sorry that I haven't finished my homework, but I was at the hospital all night long because my dad broke his leg and needed to go to the ER. Teacher: I am not interested in your excuses, you know the rules. No homework, you get a zero for the assignment. As in the complementary transaction, the student is using their Adult Ego State to reach the teacher's Adult Ego State, however, the teacher has responded with the Controlling Parent Ego State. Now that the transaction has been crossed both parties need to shift ego states in order to continue communication. Now the student may move from adult to rebellious child. When the student changes, the teacher may then come into Negative Controlling Parent behavior.
Ulterior Transaction
Example Student: I don't understand what you are saying. Teacher: What exactly do you not understand? The student's transaction is ulterior, while the teacher feels that she has explained things clearly. The student may seem to be talking from their Adult Ego State, however, the message is coming from their Negative Controlling Parent. The best way for the teacher to respond is in a calm, assertive manner, keeping the idea of Adult Ego State, and hoping to return the transaction to complementary. (Newell and Jeffery, 2002)
Jump-Shift Transaction
This occurs when the teacher does not use the expected communication path, and instead forces the conversation back to a different complementary path. For example, a Child Ego State will typically communicate to the Parent Ego State, as in I don't want to do that homework. It's boring. The student is expecting the teacher to respond in Parent->Child, as in Well you better do it anyway. However, by switching to Adult->Adult communication, the teacher can engage the student and shift them out of Child->Parent and back to Adult->Adult.
Sources
Source: Klein,Mavis, A Textbook of Transactional Analysis;
Chichester:John Wiley and Sons); 1980. p. 63
Newell, Sandra and Jeffery, David. Behavior Management in the Classroom. David Fulton Publishers: London, 2002.
Wolfgang, Charles H., Solving Discipline And Classroom Management
Problems: Methods and Models For Today’s Teachers; John Wiley
And Sons, USA, 2001.
=Related Links
For further explaination and description you might want to look at: http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/index.html
