Platinum Team Development www.pteamd.co.

uk Transactional Analysis (TA) awareness training supplement

Transactional Analysis or TA is often used as a method of therapy for individuals, couples, families and groups. It is also used extensively in the coaching field as a tool to unlock potential and increase individual and team harmony. Platinum Team Development has developed TA training that helps individuals remain in clear communication with others at appropriate levels of behaviour. TA is especially useful in consultancy, management and communications training and has a variety of other applications. This groundbreaking training will positively impact on your personal relationships and the feedback we receive for this training is highly complementary. [http://www.pteamd.co.uk/training-programmes/transactional-analysis]

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Training aims

Where did it come from and what is it used for?

Ego states The PAC model

Complementary and Crossed transactions

Strokes Life positions

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Where did Transactional Analysis come from? 1950s Canadian psychologist Eric Berne developed a behavioural model looking at communication. His 1960s book Games people play, took on the term Transactional Analysis (TA). Whats it used for? TA is a widely used model in the psychotherapy and coaching field. Ego states Eric Berne made complex interpersonal transactions understandable when he recognized that the human personality is made up of three "ego states". Each ego state is an entire system of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from which we interact with one another. The Parent, Adult and Child ego states and the interaction between them form the foundation of transactional analysis theory. These concepts have spread into many areas of therapy, education, and consulting as practiced today.

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The PAC model According to Berne, your personality is divided into three areas, Parent, Adult and Child ego states. Parent Stored in your parent ego state are your memories of your parents thoughts, feelings and behaviours (bread tin story, acting like your parental influencers). Adult In the adult ego state are your current thoughts feeling and behaviours (Here and now state). Child In the child ego state are your childhood thoughts, feeling and behaviours (When an adult behaves in a childish manner, and alters their normal adult behaviour around parents or peers).

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The PAC model can be further subdivided into controlling parent/nurturing parent, adult, adaptive child/free child. The attributes of the different ego states are listed below.

CP/NP

CP: Controlling, critical, protective, sets standards, discourages. NP: Caring, supportive, develops, loves, affirmation.

Adult: Balanced, mature, emotionless.

FC/AC

Adaptive child: Submissive, limited behaviour goes with the flow, altered behaviour. Free child: Playful, touchy, nave, naughty, inquisitive.

All the ego states can have both positive and negative repercussions. Being a balanced and healthy person involves flowing through each state at the appropriate times.

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Transactions Transactions refer to the communication exchanges between people. Transactional analysts are trained to recognize which ego states people are transacting from and to follow the transactional sequences so they can intervene and improve the quality and effectiveness of communication. Complementary transactions The simplest kind of transaction is the complementary transaction; where the arrows showing the communication of ego states with one another are parallel, this transaction will run smoothly, and can potentially last forever.

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Crossed transactions The ego state that is addressed is not the one that replies, thus ending the transaction, unless the ego state

reverts to a complementary/parallel position.

Strokes Berne observed that people need strokes, the units of interpersonal recognition, to survive and thrive. Understandings how people give and receive positive and negative strokes and changing unhealthy patterns of stroking are powerful aspects of work in transactional analysis. A stroke is a unit of attention which provides stimulation to an individual. Types of strokes

Internal: fantasies, self-praise, and other forms of self-stimulation. External: strokes from others are important for healthy living. Conditional: the stroke is for something - I like your coat. Unconditional: the stroke is for being you - (Positive: I love you Negative: I hate you.)

Life positions/OK Coral I'm OK - You're OK

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Probably the best-known expression of the purpose of transactional analysis: to establish and reinforce the position that recognizes the value and worth of every person. Transactional analysts regard people as basically "OK" and thus capable of change, growth, and healthy interactions. This is how we view ourselves, and our relationship to other people. I+ IValue yourself Other people are better/ cleverer/ luckier than you

Examples: Parent-Child (I+, U-), Adult-Adult (I+, U+)

I-U+ I+U+ I-U- I+U-

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