TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS:EGO STATES, Parent Ego State, Child Ego State

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Human Resource Development (HRM-627)

Lesson 10

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

Transactional analysis (TA) provides useful models for leadership styles. Eric Berne developed transactional

analysis, and it has been applied, and written about ever since. TA has been used with organizational

development and to improve quality of work life. Recently TA has been used to develop multinational

corporations prepare mangers to operate efficiently within other cultures. TA is being used within relationship

marketing to develop good human relations with customers.

Transactional analysis is a method of understanding behavior in interpersonal dynamics. When you talk to

someone about anything, you are involved in interpersonal dynamics, and a series of transactions take place. An

organization is a product of the process of its human relations.

Organizations have trained their employees in TA to improve their ability to handle difficult personal

situations. A few of these companies include Pan American World Airways, the United Telephone Company of

Texas, and Pitney Bowes. Studying TA can help you better understand people's behavior, and how to deal with

emotions in a more positive way.

Below are three ego states, types of transactions, and life positions and stroking. Keep in mind that people are

diverse and you will encounter a variety of ego states.

EGO STATES

According to Berne, we all have three major ego states that affect our behavior or the way we transact. The

three ego states are the parent, child, and adult. We change ego states throughout the day, and even during a single

discussion a series of transactions can take place between different ego states. Your parent, child, and adult ego

states interact with other people's parent, child, and adult ego states. Understanding the ego state of the person

you are interacting with can help you to understand his or her behavior and how to transact in an effective way.

Parent Ego State

When the parent ego is in control, people behave from one of two perspectives:

1. Critical Parent. When you behave and respond with evaluative responses that are critical, judgmental,

opinionated, demanding, disapproving, disciplining, and so on, you are in critical parent ego state. People

in the critical parent ego use a lot of do's and don'ts. Managers using the autocratic style tend to be in

critical parent ego state because they use high task/directive behavior.

2. Sympathetic Parent. On the other hand, you can also be a different type of parent. When you behave and

respond with reassuring response that are protecting, permitting, consoling, caring, nurturing, and so on,

you are in sympathetic parent ego state. Managers using the consultative and participative styles tend to be

in sympathetic parent ego state because they are using high supportive/relationship behavior.

Child Ego State

When the child ego state is in control, people behave from one of two perspectives:

1. Natural Child. When you behave and respond with probing responses that shows curiosity, intimacy, fun,

joyfulness, fantasy, impulsiveness, and so on, you are in natural child ego state. Successful managers do not

tend to continuously operate from the natural child ego state.

2. Adapted Child. When you behave with confronting responses that express rebelliousness, pouting, anger,

fear, anxiety, inadequacy, procrastination, blaming others, and so on, you are in adapted child ego state.

Managers should avoid behaving from the adapted child ego state because this type of behavior often leads

to the employee becoming emotional and behaving in a similar manner. When managers are transacting

with an employee in this ego state, they should not react with similar behavior, but should be in the adult

ego state.

Adult Ego State

When the adult ego is in control, people behave in a thinking, rational, calculating, factual, unemotional

manner. The adult gathers information, reasons things out, estimates probabilities, and makes decision with

cool and calm behavior. When communicating in the adult ego state, you avoid becoming the victim of the

other person by controlling your response to the situation.

Generally, the most effective behavior, human relations, and performance come from the adult ego state. When

interacting with others, you should be aware of their ego state. Are they acting like a parent, child, or adult?

Human Resource Development (HRM-627)

Identifying their ego state will help you understand why they are behaving the way they are and help you to

determine which ego state you should use during the interaction. For example, if the person is acting like an

adult, you most likely should, too. If the person is acting like a child, it may be appropriate way for you to act

like a parent rather than an adult. And there are times when it is appropriate for you to act out of the child ego

state and have a good time.

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