TRANSACTIONAL ANALYIS: WHAT'S THAT?

As a future clinical social worker, I plan to utilize both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Transactional Analysis, T.A., in my practice. T.A.has grown out of favor in recent years, and because I have found it to be effective, I would like to take the opportunity to discuss it here.

According to the website for the International Transactional Analysis Association, T.A.was developed by Psychiatrist, Eric Berne, M.D. T.A. became a permanent part of psychological literature with the 1958 publication of Berne’s article "Transactional Analysis: A New and Effective Method of Group Therapy”, published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy (ITAA). Since its creation, Berne’s theory has been applied to several different subjects of study, including psychology, education, and organizational development (ITAA). According to ITAA website, “the human personality is composed of ego states, and each ego state is composed of a system of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from which we learn to interact with one another. These ego states are referred to as the Parent, the Adult, and the Child (ITAA). T.A. uses cognitive behavioral methods to eliminate dysfunctional behaviors and establish and reinforce positive and healthy functioning on an adult level. T.A. is used most effectively in a group therapy setting (James). The group becomes a setting in which the individual learns to communicate clearly and directly with others. In this manner, the individual is able to identity the Ego State he or she most commonly uses, and thereby learn to avoid using the Child or Parent. Ego States. In order to be effective, the therapist must be also able to access his or her Adult Ego State.

I find T.A. to be effective because it allows me to focus on my thought processes and the resulting belief systems that I hold rather than my feelings alone. I am able to recognize my Parent, Child, and Adult Ego States, and I have successfully changed my behavior based upon the reasons that I choose to access a particular ego state. T.A. is also effective because it requires that the client and therapist both focus on thought patterns. According to David Burns, M.D., author of the excellent book, “Feeling Good: the New Mood Therapy”, and practitioner of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, asserts that both positive and negative emotions are the result of positive and negative thinking.

I will soon graduate from an MSW program and I am delighted to find that most contemporary programs are now focusing more on thoughts as the primary cause of feelings.

REFERENCES

Burns, D. (1999). Feeling Good: The new mood therapy. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

International Association of Transactional Analysis. “Transactional Analysis”.
Retrieved on November 16, 2007. http://www.itaa-net.org/ta/index.htm.

James, M. & Jongeward, D. (1996). Born to Win. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Inc.