What is Transactional Analysis?

Transactional Analysis literally means analyzing transactions. Transactions are the messages that are exchanged verbally and non-verbally between people.

Coaches and counselors use Transactional Analysis to help clients gain insight into the effectiveness of their behavior, decide what they want to change and develop the skills to do so. In doing so, clients' strengths and energy sources are increased to better handle problems at work and in daily life (NB: the word coaching is often used for professional development programs, while counseling focuses more on personal development).

Eric Berne (1910-1970) developed Transactional Analysis, abbreviated as TA. Since then, TA has proven to be a very useful model for many professionals in various fields (psychotherapy, coaching & counseling, management & organizational development, education & teaching) to work with successfully. TA is so powerful because it combines a very accessible theory about people and systems with a practical view of the possibilities for development.

TA assumes that the pattern of thinking, feeling and doing originates from, often unconscious, decisions that a person made at some point in his or her life. By becoming aware of this, people are able to make new decisions about it. This allows them to give a positive turn to their existence. TA is always about increasing autonomy. In TA, autonomy means that people are free to think, feel and act in response to the here and now, unhindered by old, no longer suitable, patterns. With autonomy, people are aware of their patterns and apply other possibilities, true to themselves. They enter into healthy relationships with others and take responsibility for their reactions. TA is a humanistic and optimistic theory; this is reflected in the philosophical principles that every person is okay and that people can change (see also: Dutch Association for Transactional Analysis ).

TA is known for concepts such as the Drama and Winners Triangle, Ego States, Misrecognition, Drivers and Script).