Transactional Analysis (TA) is a therapeutic method founded by Eric Berne in the 1950s. It combines elements of psychoanalysis with accessible language, making it especially useful in brief therapeutic contexts, organizational training, and couples work.
Three Pillars of TA:
Ego States (Parent, Adult, Child): the psyche operates in three modes. The Parent state integrates messages received from parental figures. The Child state contains primary emotions and reactions. The Adult state processes the here-and-now rationally. Psychic health implies flexible access to all three and Adult predominance in important decisions.
Transactions: each communicative exchange between two people activates specific Ego states. Complementary transactions (Adult to Adult, Child to Parent) flow smoothly. Crossed transactions (Adult asks, Parent responds) generate conflict.
Life Script and Psychological Games: TA identifies the 'script' each person received from their family and the 'games' (repetitive patterns of dysfunctional transactions) they develop in relationships. Therapeutic work identifies the script and games so the person can rewrite them.
Compatibility with Constellations: TA and the Hellingerian systemic approach are complementary. TA works on intra-psychic and communicative dynamics in the here-and-now. Family Constellations work on the transgenerational dimension of the clan. Many contemporary trainings integrate both.
Bibliography
- Games People Play — The Psychology of Human Relationships — Eric Berne. Lectorum, 1964 (orig. English 1964).
- Fairy Tales and Script Drama Analysis — Stephen Karpman. Transactional Analysis Bulletin, 7(26), 39-43, 1968.
These books are in the reference library that nurtures Constelando el Origen.
Related terms
Eric Berne
Canadian-American psychiatrist (1910-1970). Creator of Transactional Analysis. Formulated the concept of 'life script' as an unconscious family program that defines adult destiny.
See entryLife Script (Eric Berne)
An unconscious life program that the child receives from their parents before the age of 6 and that defines how their adult life will unfold —if they do not consciously identify and rewrite it—.
See entryStephen Karpman
American psychiatrist (1937-). Disciple of Eric Berne. In 1968, he formulated the 'drama triangle' (victim-persecutor-savior), a central model for understanding conflictive family dynamics.
See entryDrama Triangle (Victim-Persecutor-Savior)
A dysfunctional relational pattern formulated by Stephen Karpman: members of the system oscillate between the roles of victim, persecutor, and savior, perpetuating conflict without resolving it.
See entryA session that names what hurts
If you recognize this dynamic in your own history, a Family Constellation can reveal where it comes from and what movement brings order to it. Daniela respectfully accompanies each case.
Sessions in Spanish only