Transactional Analysis (TA) is a philosophy, a theory of personality, a theory of communication and a theory of human development within the humanistic tradition.
It’s approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy combines elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive psychotherapy. TA was developed by Canadian-born psychiatrist, Eric Berne during the late 1950s.
The main philosophical beliefs in TA are :
- People are fundamentally O.K. Each of us, regardless of our behaviour, has a basic core which is worthy of love, respect and acceptance.
- Everyone has the capacity to think (unless severely brain damaged).
- People have the potential for change and growth. Each of us decides our own destiny (out of awareness) and our decisions can be changed (in awareness).
- TA, as a theory of, and framework for, psychotherapy, integrates our internal experiences (feelings, thoughts and beliefs) with our external experiences of the world (interpersonal relationships and behaviour ) in a way that is easily understood and accessible. It emphasises the importance of communication, and offers a framework for understanding child development, personality, relationships and personal life patterns.
For more information and an explanation of the key concepts in TA go to the ITAA website: www.itaa-net.org/