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Harish is in the process of writing his first book. When he’s a little over halfway through, he asks his friend Nisha to read through the unfinished draft and give him any feedback that she may have. He tells her it’s not complete, and there may be errors in the text. Nisha agrees to help Harish out. Once she’s done with reading the incomplete draft and making feedback notes, she calls Harish and tells him everything she thinks he should change in the unfinished manuscript.
Harish’s first reaction upon getting Nisha’s critical feedback is to get upset. Nisha is surprised by Harish’s reaction; after all, he’s the one who had asked for her honest opinion. What neither of them understands is that their responses to each other are governed by what’s called the ego state. Thus it seems that when Harish asked Nisha for help, he was approaching her from what’s known as the child ego state. He then switched to the controlling parent ego state when he began admonishing her for the things she said about his work.
For her part, Nisha responded to Harish’s request for help from a nurturing parent ego state. Later, when Harish gets angry with her for being critical of his work, she responds by switching to her child ego state and being hurt by his reaction.
If both Harish and Nisha had been aware of the different ego states as defined under transactional analysis, they might have been more mindful in their reactions and handled the situation better. For instance, if Harish had been aware of transactional analysis, he might have responded to Nisha’s feedback from what’s known as the adult ego state, thereby not losing his temper and listening to her objectively. As for Nisha, if she’d known about the model of transactions, she would have responded accordingly. For example, when Harish asked for feedback, she could’ve spoken from the adult ego state and asked him exactly what kind of feedback he wanted. Even better, she could have started her feedback by listing everything she liked about the work. In this manner, they could’ve managed to control the transaction in a way that benefited them both.
It’s the concept of transactional analysis that governs the interpersonal interactions between Harish and Nisha, and it can be found in any kind of human communication. To understand this better, let’s look at what transactional analysis is.
What Is Transactional Analysis?
The definition of transactional analysis, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a system of psychotherapy involving analysis of individual episodes of social interaction for insight that will aid communication.” To better understand the meaning of transactional analysis, we must think about human relationships and interactions. When different people exchange information and ideas with one another, their communication is either easy or awkward. Sometimes, the exchange, which is essentially a transaction of thoughts, may even be unpleasant. Understanding the meaning of transactional analysis thus lies in understanding human behavior, as transactional analysis is geared towards helping us communicate better. There are several theories and ways in which human interaction, whether one-on-one or on a wider scale, can be understood and enhanced; these include methods like the S-O-R Model and the audience analysis tool. Transactional analysis is another; it’s a social psychology theory that outlines why we think, feel and behave the way we do.
Put simply, transactional analysis, which was developed by the Canadian psychiatrist, Eric Berne, in the 1950s and 1960s, seeks to explain human behavior, and can be helpful in communicating for success. The theory rests on an idea that has been briefly touched upon above: that the human brain functions with three distinct ego states, the parent, child and adult. These form the foundation of all human transactions and hold all the answers to a person’s feelings, thoughts and behavior at any point in time. Transactional analysis in organizational behavior is also common; examples of transactional analysis will be visible at different levels in the workplace, be it between managers and team members, between two colleagues or even between the heads of department within an organization.
A counselor or clinician can often use transactional analysis to help treat patients. The theory has proved to be a helpful tool in the treatment of people grappling with emotional difficulties or strains on interpersonal relationships resulting from chronic health problems. A transactional analyst would also do well in the education sector, as the theory can be used to inculcate principles about communication and philosophy in students’ minds and daily lives. Training to be a certified transactional analyst is understandably a rather rigorous process, as it involves learning to read human behavior and helping people.
Now that the concept of transactional analysis has been made clear, let’s look at the different types of transactional analysis.
Types Of Transactional Analysis
Fundamental to the definition of transactional analysis is the understanding of the ego states, on which the different types of transactions rely. Let’s look at what these are, especially in the context of transactional analysis in organizational behavior wherever possible.
1. Complementary Transactions
Complementary transactions are usually the most harmonious, as both sets of communicators–the one who initiates the communication and the one who responds–feel heard, understood and valued. To contextualize such a transactional analysis in organizational behavior, communication in an adult-to-adult state is considered best; for instance, a supervisor asks his team member to send him a report by the end of the week, and the team member promptly agrees and delivers on the promise. Such transactions are respectful and usually eliminate conflicts.
But complementary transactions can also occur between parent and child ego states; for example, when an employee has a bad day at work and needs cheering up, they’re operating from a child ego state. The colleague who takes them out for a drink to help them feel better is assuming a nurturing parental state. This is one of the examples of transactional analysis in the workplace that was outlined earlier. In this transaction, too, the communication needs of both sides are being met. Care must be taken, however, to not overdo the parent-child ego state dynamic as it might cause resentment. Take a marriage, for example. It’s alright for a spouse to operate from the child ego state during moments of crisis and expect their partner to adopt the nurturing parent ego state. But making this transactional state the default in what’s essentially supposed to be a relationship of equals can prove to be emotionally draining and damaging for the marriage.
2. Crossed Transaction
Crossed transactions make for some of the messier types of transactional analysis. They occur when the ego states of the communicating parties don’t match, thereby causing conflict. For instance, if a disgruntled customer walks into a store to complain about a purchase and starts behaving rudely with the salespeople, they’re operating from an authoritative parent ego state. They’re expecting the target of their ire to assume an apologetic child ego state; but if the sales executives respond from a reasonable adult ego state or even a similar parent ego state, a crossed transaction occurs. In this situation, one of the two people interacting would have to shift to a different ego state for a complementary transaction to happen.
3. Ulterior Transactions
Out of all the examples of transactional analysis, this one is the most interesting and embodies the complexity in the concept of transactional analysis. Ulterior transactions, though not always unpleasant, can be confusing. Often, what’s said isn’t what’s actually meant. Sarcasm or subtle condescension in conversation count as examples of ulterior transactions; they highlight how much more there is to the meaning of transactional analysis than meets the eye. While on the face of it, the two people interacting might seem like they’re operating from their adult ego states, there could be an underlying message going out from one’s parent state that could trigger a defensive response from the other person’s child state.
Take, for instance, a customer who walks into a car showroom and expresses interest in a particular model. The salesperson remarks, “This is a high-range model”. On the face of it, he’s communicating a fact adult-to-adult. However, the subtext indicates that the customer might not be able to afford that car. This could trigger a rebellious response from the customer’s child ego state, whereby he coldly insists upon test driving the car.
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