What is Transactional Analysis? (TA)
Transactional Analysis is a theory of personality and a system for personal growth and change. (UKATA). Its founder, Eric Berne, developed this school of psychotherapy during the 50s and 60s, and many theorists have made contributions over the decades, helping it to develop and evolve over time.
Philosophy of TA
The main philosophy of TA is that:
• People are ‘Okay’
• People have the capacity to think
• We make decisions about our own destiny and we can re-decide
People are Okay
This means that people are generally innately good. In TA therapy, we come from a position of ‘I’m Okay and You’re Okay. That means that I am okay with who I am and I am okay with who you are. We might not always share the same view or agree with the actions or behaviours of others, but we respect each other and appreciate the essence of who we and they are.
People Have the Capacity to Think
Generally speaking, we each have the capacity to think and so we are each responsible for deciding what we want and will live with the results of decisions that we make.
We Decide Our Destiny and We Can Re-Decide
When we realise this, we can identify what we want to change, make re-decisions and adjustments that will enable us to stop repeating unhealthy patterns and ‘put a new show on the road’.
6 Ways in Which TA Psychotherapy Will Help You
- TA will help you to understand how your personality developed throughout childhood and beyond.
- TA will help you to identify unhealthy patterns and decisions, often made out of awareness, that contributed to them and continue to maintain them, keeping you feeling ‘stuck’.
- TA will help you to understand your own internal dialogue and how this affects a range of issues and conditions such as: depression, anxiety, and unhealthy patterns and coping strategies.
- TA will help you to understand how you relate to others and how you can make positive changes to improve your relationships.
- TA will help you to decide what you are going to change.
- TA will help you to make re-decisions and adjustments that will empower and enable you to make the change that you want and move forward in a more positive direction.
