TA and Script Theory for Managers by Dr.

KSS Kanhaiya
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TA and Script Theory for Managers

Dr. KSS Kanhaiya
BSc Engg., DCPA, MBA, MA(App. Psy.) PhD(Mgmt.)
C.Eng. (I), FIE (I), MIMA, LMCSI, LMISCA,LMIIMM
Kss.kanhaiya@gmail.com
Introduction
An efficient management without effective leadership is akin to straightening deck chairs on the
Titanic. An effective manager-leader keeps aware of the way she deals with colleagues and customers. This
involves awareness about self and others of why something is said or done; and using such investigation for
behaviour modifications and better teamwork.
Transactional Analysis (TA) explores how human personality works. It is useful to add competitive
advantage and actualize the potential of people.
This paper introduces basic principles of TA, Karpman Drama Triangle, Script Theory and their
implications in order to explore how to harness Scripts for increasing one’s managerial effectiveness.
TA Outline
Dr. Eric Berne, who developed TA, identified three “ego states” – Parent, Adult and Child – that co-
exist in people and participate in individuals’ interactions. He sketched stereotype interactions involving ulterior
motives and identified these as “games”. The first theorized game was “Why don’t you, yes but” in which one
player poses a problem and then points out a flaw in each solution the other player proposes until they give up
in frustration.
TA uses the ego-states model to understand how people function and describe their psychological
structure. It postulates relationships within the mind and proposes relationships of various kinds between
individuals.
It introduces the idea of a “Life Script”, that is, a story one perceives about own life, to answer
questions such as “What matters” and “What kind of person am I”. One often sticks with her script even at the
cost of pain, self-defeating behaviour and other dysfunction.
The Ego-State (PAC) model
Each ego state – Parent, Adult, and Child – has its patterned thought system, feelings and behaviour.
A person experiences and manifests his personality through a mixture of behaviours, thoughts and feelings
originating from each state at any time.
Parent is a collection of pre-judged matters recorded in mind. It involves codes for living. Parent may
be controlling, deciding and reasoning. In this state people behave, feel and think in response to an
unconscious mimicking of how their parent figures acted – thus a person may shout at someone out of
frustration because she learned so in childhood.
Adult involves logical thinking, moral feelings and reasoned processing of reality. In this state people
behave, feel and think in response to the present, using all resources accumulated with life-experience. Adult
can be contaminated by delusions or prejudices.
Child is seen as the source of creativity and recreation. It is impulsive, imaginative, and
impressionable and, may be suppressed. If suppressed by controlling or overly nurturing parent, it harbours
unrealistic expectancies and dysfunctional scripts. In this state people behave, feel and think as they did in
childhood – thus a person being told off by the boss may feel shame or anger, as she did as a child.
Within each state, there are sub-divisions. Thus parental figures are often either nurturing (permission
giving, security giving) or controlling and childhood behaviours are either natural (free) or adapted to others.
Ego states are more observable and consistent than Freud’s Ego, Superego and Id. One can tell from
observation what ego state a person is communicating from at the given instant. Ego states do not correspond
to thinking, feeling and judging aspects propounded by Carl Jung; though some have tried to map PAC with
judging, thinking and feeling. There are no “universal” ego states. Each state is individually manifested for
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each person. For example, there is no generalised ‘childlike’ state; a person’s Child is what he or she created
in childhood.
Contamination
Contamination occurs when personality instances interfere. A contaminated Adult can be
counterproductive. Basic contaminations are delusions and prejudices. Contaminations coupled with exclusion
(blocking out of one or more ego-states by the other) are more complex and are manifested by unwavering
stereotyped attitudes.
Prejudice occurs when Adult is contaminated by unexamined Parent data externalised as true.
Prejudices manifest in transactions on the basis of prejudgement. Prejudiced person fails to reason when a
logical case regarding the subject of prejudice is presented, because the Parent dominantly surrounds the
case with arguments supporting the prejudice. Many prejudices develop when parents shut enquiry in
childhood.
Delusion occurs when Adult is contaminated by feelings and experiences contained in Child. Delusion
is grounded in fear and restatement of truth does not rid the person unless the truth is uncovered that the fear
relevant in childhood no longer exists.
Transactions
Transactions are the flow of communication, more specifically the unspoken psychological parallel
flow. Consider a caring voice with sarcastic intent.
Transactions take place from any one ego state of the individuals involved. Transactions can
complement, cross, or be covert. There are six possible types of transactions, namely, PP, PA, PC, AA, AC
and CC. For example, discussing weather could be a PP transaction, reasoning together an AA and having fun
a CC transaction.
People often create pressure in others to communicate in complementary style. A boss talking from
controlling Parent state will engender Child response viz. self-abasement and will label resisting employees as
trouble.
Reciprocal Transaction
It occurs when both partners address the ego state the other is in.
Example 1 : A: “Have you written the report?” (Adult to Adult)
B: “Yes - I’m about to send it to you” (Adult to Adult)
Example 2: A: “Is your room tidy yet?” (Parent to Child)
B: “Stop hassling. I’ll do it.” (Child to Parent)
Crossed Transactions
Communications fail during ‘crossed transaction’ where partners address ego states other than their
partner is in.
Example 1: A: “Have you written the report?” (Adult to Adult)
B: “Stop hassling. I’ll do it eventually!” (Child to Parent)
A’s PC response may then be, “If you don’t change, you’ll be in trouble.”
Example 2: A: “Is your room tidy yet?” (Parent to Child)
B: “I’m just going to do it.” (Adult to Adult)
Although positive, A will feel aggrieved that B is not playing the intended role (Child), and the
conversation may develop into:
A: “I never trust you doing things!” (PC) B: “Why don’t you believe me?” (CP)
Duplex or Covert transactions
In such transactions, the explicit social conversation occurs in parallel with an implicit psychological
transaction. For instance,
A: “Sky looks clear this evening.” B: “I love walking in moonlight.”
Apparent social level is AA; but the psychological level is C-C flirtation.
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Why people engage in transactions

Berne addressed this query in terms of ‘need for stimulation’. The human psyche’s ability to maintain
coherent ego-states depends upon a changing flow of sensory stimulation. Berne coined the concept of
“stimulus hunger” and its sublimation “recognition hunger” elaborated into “structure hunger” – craving for
social situations wherein stimulation can be obtained. These find further elaboration in “existential hunger”, the
craving for meaning. Thus every transaction has three payoff levels – biological (stimulation), social (structure)
and existential (meaning).
Stimulus hunger directs activity and may generate covert transactions and games, in an effort to
obtain stimulation not easily available in wholesome form like intimacy.
Thus emerged the concept of strokes. Berne called the activity of recognition-exchange as “stroking”
and the unit of exchange as “stroke”. Strokes are the recognition or responsiveness a person gives to another.
Strokes can be positive or negative and are procured through intimacy, work, rituals, pastimes or games.
People hunger for recognition, and if lacking positive strokes, they seek whatever possible – even negative
recognition.
During childhood, people test strategies and behaviours that yield strokes. These get ingrained in the
Child and guide future transactions. Strokes define the most basic human events, love and hatred.
Life Script
Many actions or ideas are caused by what people think and decide about experiences they remember.
One’s brain architecture and the earliest messages received from caregivers in conjunction with objects in her
environment cause one to learn schemata and scripts. Schemata are format statements or templates stored in
brain that tell a person what to focus on and what to ignore. Scripts are repetitive sequences of feelings,
thoughts and behaviors that one produces in order to survive with significant others.
Scripting
Many decisions made by children in context of their powerlessness can be troublesome later when
power-relations change and the childhood decisions are no longer necessary for survival. That is the essence
of scripts. Schank and Abelson point out that a script is on-going program to be acted out regardless of
external reality.
Some parents fail to meet children’s emotional, mental, and physical needs; leading the latter into
problems of adjustment and self-esteem – as pointed out by Clarke and verified by Stapletons– resulting in
formation of scripts. Script characteristics are:
1. Script is a life plan, directed to a pay-off.
2. Script is decided upon by individual in childhood in response to own perceptions of the world.
External forces do not thrust it upon her.
3. Parents (influential figures) and experiences reinforce Scripts.
4. Script affects navigation and cravings and redefines reality to match our filters.
Script formation
Many theorists believe that family scripting is a multi-generational process wherein messages about
how to live and what to do are transmitted socially and psychologically from parents across generations.
Children may reject the messages and assume lifestyles in adulthood that differ from parents, but, in stable
cultures, children accept the messages.
Most parents tell their children to keep nails clean, study hard and get along. Many also tell them
psychologically and non-verbally not to be successful, not to think about certain subjects or feel in certain
ways. These messages plus the child’s decisions result in life script for him. Thus script is written partially by
the child and its parental figures. Some believe that scripting is largely finished by the age of 8, determining
decisions such as the socio-economic role to act out in adult life. Others believe that scripting is subject to
change throughout life as the individual experiences new situations.
One’s script is based on messages. The attention that the child pays to any message is affected by
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several factors like importance of the source (father, mother, significant others), emphasis added to message
(repetition, punishment, rewards), own powerlessness and susceptibility (imprintable, scared, tired, upset).
Each culture has a Mythos, that is, a legend explaining its origins, core beliefs and purpose. So do
individuals. A person begins writing her own life story very young, as she makes sense of the world and her
place therein. Although revised throughout life, the core story is decided upon typically by age of 8. At
adulthood it passes out of awareness but keeps influencing thought, feeling and behaviour. A life script “to be
hurt many times, and make others feel bad when I die” could result in a person adopting behaviours that
produce exactly this effect. Script could as easily be positive.
Injunctions and Drivers
Messages embedded into a child’s life-script commonly contain twelve injunctions and five drivers.
Injunctions:
1. Don’t exist 2. Don’t be who you are 3. Don’t be a child
4. Don’t grow up 5. Don’t make it in your life 6. Don’t do anything
7. Don’t be important 8. Don’t belong 9. Don’t be close
10. Don’t be well (sane!) 11. Don’t think 12. Don’t feel
Drivers:
1. Be perfect 2. Please (me/others) 3. Try Hard
4. Be Strong 5. Hurry Up
In creating script, a child often juggles these. For example: “It’s okay for me to go on living (ignore
don’t exist) so long as I try hard”. When this person eventually relaxes with family (stops trying hard), the
injunction don’t exist gets exposed as a threat. The individual may feel a massive psychological pressure –
without understanding the reason and nature of it– to return to trying hard, in order to feel safe and justified in
existing. The pressure keeps him from feeling relaxed and dignified – as if he be living unauthorised.
Effects of Scripting: Redefining and Discounting
• Redefining refers to unconsciously distorting reality to match our preferred way of seeing the world.
Thus a person scripted to struggle alone against a hard world may redefine others’ kindness to
perceive that they are just manipulating.
• Discounting refers to undervaluing something and giving a non-Adult reaction, or ignoring evidence
contradicting one’s script. Discounting includes passivity, agitation, over-adaptation, incapacitation,
anger and violence.
Script induced transactions: Rackets and Games
Rackets and games are devices used by a person to create a circumstance where feelings reinforcing
the script can acquire legitimacy. They substitute genuine emotion and appropriate response to the situation.
A racket is the strategy of getting feelings permitted under one’s script and covering up actual feeling
disallowed by dominating script. A racket feeling is a set of childhood-learnt emotions and behaviours,
experienced in stress situations, and maladaptive as an Adult problem-solving means.
Racket behaviours are employed to manipulate the environment to match the script. Covert goal of
such behaviours is not to solve the problem, but to experience racket feelings and feel justified in experiencing
them.
For example, if racket feeling is “He always takes advantage of mine”; the racket is a set of behaviours
and strategies that help cause experiencing this feeling. This happens despite their surface protestations and
hurt feelings, in a way that is perceived as someone else’s fault. One covert pay-off for this racket and its
feelings might be to gain continued reinforcement for a script belief that “People will always let you down”.
A game is a repetitive, usually predictable, sequence of transactions characterised by a sudden
“switch” at the end. Thus the husband bullies the wife and the wife acquiesces (both experience racket
feelings). The cycle continues. Suddenly she walks out. This is the switch. Both feel a sudden change of
feelings, without awareness of their part in engineering them.
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Games can be classified as level 1, 2 or 3 according to the stakes. Level 1 would be lot of small paybacks (the
girl who keeps meeting nice guys who ditch her, and feeling bad). Level 3 would be payback built up over a
long period to a major level like court.
The Karpman Drama Triangle (KDT)
Games can also be analysed according to the KDT. A person plays one of three roles of Persecutor,
Victim and Rescuer while other two roles are played by other person(s) involved in transaction. There may be
others (termed as Patsies) connecting the three. The ‘switch’ of a game occurs when one player suddenly
switches role. The victim and persecutor interchange roles, or the rescuer suddenly switches to persecutor
(“You never appreciate my help!”). The roles are portrayed in games for promoting the script. This prevents
psychological equality in relationships and serves as a training ground for powerlessness.
Persecutor – The core feeling is “It’s all your fault”. The persecutor sets strict limits; blames and
criticizes others; keeps victim oppressed; is mobilized by anger and assumes rigid authoritative stance of
critical Parent.
Victim - The core feeling is “Poor me”. The victim feels oppressed, helpless, powerless, dejected or
ashamed and keeps looking for a Rescuer to perpetuate the negative feelings. Long stay in victim position
blocks the individual from seeking and experiencing pleasure, decision-making or understanding self.
Rescuer - The core feeling is “Let me help you”. The rescuer feels guilty if doesn’t find someone to
rescue or fails to rescue someone perceived ‘in need’. Such person keeps victim dependent. She expects to
fail in rescue attempts – enabling her to become a persecutor (“you did not let me rescue you”) or a victim
(ashamed due to failure).
Victims need to learn to stand on their own feet. If you want to help, encourage her to take full
responsibility of own life, take care of herself, stop blaming others and function without rescuers.
Philosophy of TA
For behaviour modification using Script analysis, belief in basic TA tenets is required:
• Everyone has validity and equality of respect.
• Almost everyone has full Adult capability to think.
• People decide their script. Being a decision, it can be changed.
• Freedom from maladaptations embedded in the script would rid one of inappropriate and displaced
emotion (viz. suffering), compulsive behaviour and dysfunctional life-patterns.
• The aims of change are autonomy (freedom from script), spontaneity, intimacy and problem-solving
as opposed to avoidance or passivity.
Behaviour-shaping and Script Analysis
Shaping teammates’ behaviour is important managerial function. TA and Script analysis can be used
effectively for this.
Scripts guide behaviour and to change behaviour pattern one should target changing the script. This
involves Descripting and Rescripting – erasing undesirable and introducing desirable scripts. Behaviour
analysis on script lines helps to recognise the individual’s guiding scripts so that identification of existing
dysfunctional and required new scripts can be made. KDT based analysis helps in identifying the predominant
standpoint of an individual to free her from the triangle.
Like any psychological intervention, this technique too is not a quick fix solution. Scripts create self-
fulfilling prophecies, so modification needs lot of willpower, courage and commitment. Changing script
decisions is a complex process requiring accurate information with effective action and feedback. The
intervention has to be made with minute analysis, deep conviction, and great patience.
The first target for change efforts is the self. Only when you model yourself positively, your area of
influence over others expands.
Changing Scripts – Methods
Some methods for descripting and rescripting are suggested here. The practitioner has to decide the
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intervention on the basis of situation, target individual’s characteristics and applicability of particular strategy.
Descripting
Freeing an individual from the injunction-driver combinations involves two important actions. One is
giving him permission to be free; and other is creation of situations that help his Adult to break the script
reinforcements.
Permission by instruction (‘do not live this script’) comes from intervener’s Parent and engages target
individual’s Child – thereby creating another script or Antiscript. Permission to be free should be a license to
Adult like ‘you can live without living this script if you decide to’ [and deciding so is an OK thing to do].
Giving permission to be independent of script needs multistep process to hook the person’s Adult.
Intervener has to first establish his Potency (I can give you permission). This authority and receptibility is best
established by setting oneself as an example and providing useful positive feedbacks. Second step is of giving
the Permission in a language that creates desirability of script-independence. The third step is of providing
Protection that is, removing the scare from the individual’s Child and telling him that he would be OK in
erasing the particular script. In some cases, this protection may also require Reinforcing.
Situational factors that reinforce scripts and induce the Adult to live by them should be identified and
modified so that script-denouncement may be easy. The individual should start thinking that the actual reality
is different from what his Child felt and recorded. Some such factors are indicated below.
Responsibility sans resources reinforces the injunction ‘Don’t make it in your life’. Office politics and
rewarding of nonperformance (usually in form of additional resources) reinforce the injunctions ‘Don’t belong’ /
“Don’t succeed”. Frequent changes, negative criticism and unfair comparisons reinforce ‘Don’t do anything’
(‘nothing will please the Parent’). Helping too much – doing something for others what they should do –
reinforces ‘Don’t grow up’. Low Self Esteem imposed through criticism, snubbing, not assigning important
work or overlooking of good work – reinforces ‘Don’t be important’ and ‘Don’t think’ (don’t involve yourself in
work).
The situation of crying babies getting more milk, when silent workers perceive disadvantaged because
managing constraints without creating pressures for help makes them being considered as underloaded or
over-resourced, reinforces the injunction “Don’t grow up” and “Be and remain helpless”.
For descripting, individual should be guided to see positive interpretations of others’ behaviour and to
avoid bearing grudges or complaining. Sincere appreciation helps people perceive the world as just and
understanding – thus erasing Child recordings of an unjust world, which created the script injunction ‘Don’t
belong’.
Rescripting – Methods
Rescripting involves feedback and suggestions to create new scripts. Building proper external socio-
organisational and internal psychological environment for the person catalyses rescripting. Fear of success [I
am unworthy of success, Success will deprive me of sympathies and breed higher expectations, Success will
nullify my demands for reinforcements, …] can be removed by helping the individual to develop a sense of
pride, build self-esteem and recognise his self worth. Then one can be suggested in terms of the positive
drivers to try hard and succeed. One can become more willing to accept the new script if the external work-
environment exhibits that his psycho-econo-sociological needs are cared for and systems ensure positive
performance-reward- correlation.
The individual should be encouraged to use the powers of Positive Autosuggestion. Positive
Autosuggestion allows one to know his history and to rise above one’s raising [I am from an unprivileged
family, but am fighting my way out of that to rise above that]. Positive Autosuggestion is not just ‘feel good’
mantras. It is rationally optimistic Adult self-talk rather than hype, illusions or neuroticism.
Scripts are formed by childhood interpretations of perceived suggestions from parent figures. An adult
may try to play Parent and suggest oneself to do, think and feel as would be more helpful in goal-achievement.
The intervener should develop conviction and guide the required autosuggestions.
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The individual should be helped to erase the Child recordings of helplessness and rescript about
becoming successful. There should be a goal-centered script telling, ‘you can do anything if you try hard’. They
should build an infinite capacity for not knowing what cannot be done.
In order to develop commitment towards rescripting, the intervener has to create desirability and
appeal in the new script. Visualisation of successes is a great tool for this. Visualisation involves painting vivid
picture of how one will feel and act on achieving a particular success. The more detailed such picture, the
more powerful scripting will be. This visualisation sometimes may even include scenes of feeling bad, helpless,
worthless and hurt if the person continues with the dysfunctional script.
A very useful script that one should be rescripted to for organisational success is Goal Structured Can
Script based on Always plan (Always keep trying). This involves the script “If you can’t do it one way, Try
another”.
Freedom from KDT – Methods
Games hamper teamwork and synergy. These also breed helplessness. As games involve switch from
KDT roles, it is useful to analyse one’s standing during any particular transaction as well as his predominant
KDT standing and try to be free from that.
The role position of victim can be got rid of by moving from feeling hurt to problem-solving mode. This
involves transcending the Child state analysis of why something undesirable took place or how it feels to be in
that situation, and entering into Adult state of analysing how to get out of the tight spot. Using Johnson’s
metaphor, when cheese gets moved, Sniff and Scurry rather than Hem and Haw.
To get off persecutor role, one has to understand the structure of particular transaction and to clarify
ambiguities through positive interpretations.
Freedom from rescuer requires adopting the nurturing mode rather than episodic helper mode. One
should guide the ‘victim’ to understand situation, take responsibility for it and find ways to come out. A good
teacher makes the student feel thirsty rather than bringing him water!
Changing Self and others
The methods for changing self or others are almost same. When changing others, other one is the
target person and you are the intervener. When changing yourself, the two roles merge in you.
When you have to modify script system and feel that some changes in the behaviour environment is
required, try to introduce those changes for others. If you cannot introduce the required change – mostly true
in case of your own environment – find out ways of surpassing the same through appropriate scripts leading to
necessary adaptations, interpretations and problem-solving.
Conclusion
TA and Script Analysis provide effective tools for behaviour shaping. Before trying to change the
world, one must analyse own dysfunctionalities and try correcting them. The knowledge is valuable but
knowing is not enough. We should ponder a little upon what Theodore Roosevelt said, “Far and away the best
prize life offers is the chance to work hard at something worth doing.”

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