American scientist Eric Berne founded a direction in psychology, which was called the transactional analysis of communication. It is based on a position borrowed from philosophy, which says that a person will be happy only when he recognizes that he is keeping his life under control and is fully responsible for it. In this context, a transaction is a unit of communication directed at another person. This concept is designed to make life easier for those who have problems communicating.
Transactional analysis of Eric Berne's communication: general
At the heart of this theory lies a certain division of the individual into social roles. Transactional analysis of E. Berne's communication presupposes the isolation of the three components of a person's personality, which are the basis of social interaction. Among them - children, parents and adults.
- The parental component is divided into two parts: the caring parental self and the critical parental self. It is this part of the personality that launches useful stereotypes, is responsible for compliance with the adopted norms and rules. If there is little time for reflection in the situation, it is this component that assumes the leading role, since a consistent analysis and consideration of behavioral opportunities is not included here. From this position, a person usually performs the role of leader, teacher, elder brother, mother, etc.
- The adult component is responsible for the logical comprehension of information, the emotional background is not taken into account here. In this case, consciousness operates not with ready solutions derived from social norms, as in the previous case. Adult consciousness allows you to think about the options for actions and their consequences, as a result of which a unique decision based on free choice is made. From this position, a random companion, a neighbor, a confident subordinate, etc., enters the dialogue.
- Childhood reflects the emotional, sensual component of life. This includes spontaneous emotional decisions, and creativity, and originality, and thrill. When a person no longer has the strength to make a deliberate decision, this component takes precedence over his personality. It has several variants of manifestation: either the natural child I, responsible for the simplest spontaneous emotional reactions, or the adjusting baby I that leads a person into a timid and vacillating state, or an objecting childish I who protest. From this position, usually play the role of a young specialist, artist, guest, etc.
Each person includes all three components, but there are also cases when the person is clearly skewed to any one side. This creates internal tension and is hard for the person himself. The fact is that all three components play an important role, and therefore only their harmonious interaction allows the individual to feel comfortable and natural.
Transactional communication analysis - test
In order to find out how much the three components combine in your character, you need to answer the test questions. Evaluate each of the expressions on a ten-point scale. Set it to 0 if it's not about you at all, 10 - if it's typical your behavior or thought, and the numbers are from 1-9, if it's an intermediate option.
Transactional communication analysis - processing of results
In accordance with the key, arrange the symbols in descending order, and as a result you will get a formula showing your indicators of the adult-parent-child in your personality. The more harmonious the results obtained, the better and more evenly developed your personality.