Biography of an American psychologist
Eric Berne was born in Montreal, Canada, into a poor Jewish family that came from Russia. Bern's father, David Bernstein, was a practicing physician and had a significant influence on the formation of his son's personality. He often took Eric with him when he visited his patients. Eric was traumatized by the early death of his father, who, one might say, was his greatest friend. In one of his books he placed a dedication addressed to his father.
The future scientist’s mother, Sarah Gordon, was a professional writer. She also had a certain influence on Eric, who in the future acquired the habit of writing about the treatment of his patients. After David's death, his mother supported the whole family.
Eric Berne received his basic medical education there, in Montreal, at McGill University. After some time, he moved to the USA. Given the spread of anti-Semitic sentiment, he changed his surname to Bern. At first he was a practicing doctor, both privately and in psychiatric hospitals.
During World War II, Bern joined the Army Medical Corps. It was during this time that he first began working with groups. The experience gained became material for his scientific research. One of the main directions of his research at this time was the study of so-called ego images. The ego image is a certain intuitive idea of the patient, based on his stories about himself.
Transactional analysis
Eric Berne analyzed communication by breaking it down into "units of communication" or "transactions" .
Hence the name of the method – transactional analysis. The theory provides answers to questions that determine the quality of our communication [2]:
- What are our ego states?
- What ego states do we carry with us throughout our lives?
- How to remove “garbage” from our heads, what should we focus on in communication?
- How do our states manifest themselves in different situations and behavior patterns?
- How can we “balance” our ego states so that they work for creation?
The subject of transactional analysis in psychotherapy is the study of ego states - integral systems of ideas and feelings that manifest themselves in our communication through appropriate behavior patterns. Using “units of interaction” - transactions, we can represent the most complex language of human relationships in the language of interactions of three basic ego states. Even a person far from psychotherapeutic practice can learn to understand the language of our ego. Speaking this language means mastering the art of communication to perfection.
Transactional analysis and its directions
But the main brainchild of Eric Berne is his transactional analysis. This system allows you to analyze human behavior and his relationship with the surrounding reality.
First of all, transactional analysis identifies three ego states in a person
:
- Parent
: these are attitudes perceived by a person from the outside, primarily from parents. Such attitudes outwardly manifest themselves as a critical attitude towards others, caring towards them; internally they are recognized as old parental instructions that continue to influence a person for many years. - Adult
: This ego state, contrary to its name, is not dependent on the person's age. It is aimed at studying the world around us, obtaining objective information about it. This ego state is distinguished by organization, the ability to act resourcefully and decisively, and the ability to carefully check and calculate everything. - Child
: This state contains all the impulses that naturally arise in a child. It also concentrates early childhood impressions and experiences. The Child's state is expressed as a kind of archaic, “old” behavior; it is also responsible for creative activity.
What does all this mean? When we are faced with current reality, we act like “adults”; when we act and think as our parents did, we are in the “parent” state; and when we think and act as we did as children, we are in the “child” state. At every moment of time a person is in one of these states.
When communicating with others, a person exchanges transactions with them. Their basic structure includes stimulus and response. So, the stimulus “Hello!” provokes a response of “Hi. How are you?".
During an exchange of transactions, our current ego state enters into a relationship with the ego state of the interlocutor.
There are three types of transactions
:
- Complementary or parallel
. In such transactions, the stimulus emanating from one person is directly complemented by the response of another. For example, a husband asks: “Where is my tie?”, and the wife answers: “In the closet.” With such interaction, the interlocutors are in the same ego states (in this case, this is the “adult” state). - Intersecting
. The directions of stimulus and reaction in this case intersect, which can become the basis for a scandal or conflict. In this case, to the husband’s question “Where is my tie?” the wife irritably replies: “I’m always to blame for everything!” The interlocutors are in different ego states: the stimulus is directed from the “adult” husband to the “adult” wife, and the reaction comes from the “child” to the “parent”. - Hidden
. In this case, a person says one thing, but means something completely different. In hidden transactions, words, intonation, gestures, and facial expressions often do not correspond to each other. Hidden transactions are the basis for the emergence of psychological games. Transactional analysis sees one of its main tasks as the study of such psychological games. - Another theory included in transactional analysis is script theory.
Here human behavior is divided into three components
:
- Scenario
. This is an attitude, a kind of “life plan” received in childhood. The scenario is chosen by the child from those options proposed by parents or society. Thanks to this, we already know in childhood what the main moments of our future life will be. Byrne, as an example, cites the story of two brothers, to whom their mother said: “You will both end up in a mental hospital”; as a result, one became a mental patient and the other a psychiatrist. - Counter-scenario
. These are actions aimed at “overcoming the scenario.” For example, if a person is “destined” to suffer from childhood, then he gives himself a different attitude - he will get rid of suffering if he receives a higher education. The counter-script and the script are laid down in different ego states. - Anti-script
. These are actions performed if it is impossible to act according to the scenario. In this case, the person seems to be acting according to the original “plan,” but his actions seem to have the opposite sign: what the script says should be done well, he does poorly. Thus, he continues to be dependent on the script, and his life in general becomes predictable. The anti-script, one might say, determines a person’s lifestyle, while the script determines his destiny.
It is believed that a parent considers a child an adult only when he behaves in strict accordance with the scenario he proposed.
In his works, Eric Berne wrote that he considers the state of an “adult” to be the most productive. In this case, human behavior is most adequate; it corresponds to objective reality. In this case, a person is able to understand the environment and make the right decisions.
He considered the ego states of “adult” and “child” to be less constructive and less productive. Indeed, in these states there is a distortion of objective reality. A person in the “adult” state is overly demanding and falls into increased perfectionism; and in the state of a “child” he becomes too controlled, dependent on circumstances, passive.
Eric Berne gives a clear example. The man made some mistake. If he is in an “adult” state, then he realizes his mistake, takes responsibility, but at the same time understands how to correct it, learns useful experience from this mistake for himself and will not repeat it in the future. He can truly make a difference.
If he is in the state of an “adult,” then he begins to “nag” himself and takes on excessive responsibility. In pathological cases, such remorse can last for decades. They do not change the situation, but psychological tension grows. The result can be severe mental disorders.
And a person in a “child” state becomes offended and begins to blame others for his mistake. This also does not change the situation and can also cause mental disorders.
Thus, a person should be in the state of an “adult” and not stoop to the level of a “child” and “parent”; only then can he solve his problems. However, in some cases, you can allow yourself to “fall” into other ego states. At a party you can “become a child” - have fun, “do nonsense”, give vent to your emotions. And for a teacher or boss, it will sometimes be useful to “become an adult” in order to exercise control over the situation and subordinates, and be responsible for other people if circumstances require it.
Speaking about the implementation of scenarios, Eric Berne highlights the initial positions of a person in relation to himself and others. These positions can be positive or negative.
From this there are four possible scenarios:
:
- “I am good, YOU are good
. This is a position of success, a healthy personality, a winner. A person either acquires this position in early childhood or learns it through hard work later. Such an installation cannot be acquired by mere desire. - “I am good, YOU are bad
. This is a position of superiority. A person mocks his interlocutors, his spouse, his partner; such people send their children to orphanages and boarding schools for troubled teenagers, and they like to look for flaws in those around them. They are constantly looking for enemies, and if they do not exist in reality, then they will definitely create them for themselves. - “I am bad, YOU are good
. This is a position of depression. Such people constantly humiliate themselves in front of others, taking advantage of their weaknesses. They pass on their depression to their children. This is where the loser scenario comes into play. - “I am bad, YOU are bad
. This is a position of hopelessness. In this case, the person experiences a persistent desire to commit suicide and/or everything around him. They strive for means of self-destruction (alcohol, drug addiction, immoral behavior). This position is believed to contain signs of schizophrenia.
Peak of popularity
The peak of Burn's popularity dates back to the 70s, when the psychologist's books began to be published in large editions. Burn had an amazing talent for presenting complex scientific ideas in accessible and interesting language for the reader. The book “Games People Play”, published in 1964, was a great success.
As conceived by the author, the book “Games People Play” was intended for specialists in the field of psychology. But the bright, attractive title and the genes of the mother-writer did their job, the book became a world bestseller. Even in the USSR, despite its closeness to Western cultures, Burn's book became widely known.
The famous Russian psychotherapist M. Pashup wrote that in many parts of the Soviet Union psychological circles appeared that tried to understand “games” and “scenarios,” but these attempts did not lead to any creative results.
M. Pashup wrote: “The fact is that Burnian therapy, similar in this way to Freudian psychoanalysis, is analytical, and in order to conduct a transactional analysis, the client is required to have some - specific and rather narrow - mastery of his conceptual apparatus. Berne's client should study transactional analysis, but as a client, not as a therapist. And what a therapist should be able to and understand is either hidden between the lines or unsaid.”
I am a child
A child continues to live in each of us until our gray hairs . From time to time, he manifests himself in adult life in a completely childlike way - operating with the same feelings, words and thoughts, acting, playing and reacting in the same way as at the age of 2-6 years. At such moments, we live our lives in the “I-Child” state, returning again and again to our childhood experiences, but from the position of a mature personality. In fact, “Child” is that piece of childhood that we manage to preserve until old age.
It is this part of the human personality that Eric Berne considers the most valuable . Staying in this state at any age, we allow ourselves the happiness of remaining natural - enthusiastic and sweet, joyful and sad, or stubborn and flexible - the same as we were in our childhood. Spontaneity, intuition, a spark of creativity - most clearly manifested in childhood, we carry into adulthood and manifest again in the state of a Child.
What happens if the Child-I ego becomes dominant over the years?
Rigidly dominating in adulthood, the Child's condition can become a source of serious problems. Having suffered even a momentary failure, a person in the “I-Child” state immediately finds a scapegoat - an imperfect world, insincere friends, stupid bosses, a family always complaining about life, or, for lack of more specific objects, karma and a generational curse. The consequence of such reasoning is a guilty verdict that he pronounces on people, the world and himself, disappointment with life, neglect of the opportunity to use the experience gained to avoid similar mistakes in the future.
As in the case of the dominance of the “I-Parent” position, a constant stay in the “I-Child” state stretched out over time and the accumulation of negative emotions in the form of resentment and bitterness is the foundation for serious psychosomatic illnesses. The same consequences can be expected by actively and systematically suppressing the “Child” in oneself from the “I-Adult” state.
Free and adaptive Child
Depending on the role that parents played in raising a person in his early childhood, his Child can be formed Free or Adaptive.
the Free Child within us , we are able not only to perceive life, but to be surprised and sincerely rejoice at its manifestations. We are able to forget about age, laugh until we cry at a good good joke, experience childish delight from the feeling of unity with nature and its energies. We are ready to break into a wide smile when we find a like-minded person, to love those around us for no reason, to find meaning in everything that happens to us and around us.
The Adaptive Child is full of constant doubts and complexes. It is easy to identify him in his surroundings by the “mask of the Victim” - a constantly preoccupied and anxious expression on his face. Usually this mask fully corresponds to his internal state - tension, fear of taking an extra or wrong step, doubt, struggle with himself over any, even the most insignificant, reason. Life for him is movement along a predetermined trajectory, and what this trajectory will be is often not chosen by him.
I'm an Adult
In the “I-Adult” state, a person evaluates the environment and what is happening to him objectively, and is able to calculate the likelihood and possibility of certain events based on accumulated experience. Being in this state, a person lives according to the “Here and Now” principle, exchanging sensory and logical information with the world like a computer - in real time. A pedestrian crossing the street, a surgeon performing an operation, or a scientist giving a report is in the “I-Adult” state. The main words of the Adult are: “This is expedient”, “I can - I can’t”, “Let’s count”, “Where is the benefit?”
What happens if a person chooses to be guided by the Adult Self ego?
The “I-Adult” state presupposes an adequate assessment of reality and one’s actions, and acceptance of responsibility for each of them. In the “I-Adult” position, a person retains the opportunity to learn from his mistakes and use the accumulated experience for further development. He does not crucify himself for his mistakes, but accepts responsibility and moves on.
Instead of dragging behind him the heavy emotional tail of mistakes and defeats, he takes a new chance and finds the right way to correct them with minimal energy expenditure. On the other hand, being under constant control from the “Parent” and “Child”, the “Adult Self” loses the ability to make informed decisions. And then the “Adult”, who fell under the influence of the “Child”, will spend all his earnings for six months on a magnificent New Year celebration.
Neo-Freudianism
Freudianism or Freudian psychoanalysis is a systematic explanation of unconscious connections through the associative process. Freud proposed a new structure of human personality with its division into “I” (Ego), “superego” (superego) and “It” (id).
The scientist subjected any mental states, like all human actions, and then all historical events and phenomena in public life, to psychoanalysis. He interpreted them as a manifestation of unconscious, and, first of all, sexual desires.
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Freud's followers are called representatives of neo-Freudianism. They believe that the main place in the individual’s position belongs to socio-cultural influences. That is, they focused their attention on socio-cultural processes.
According to neo-Freudians, it is precisely such processes that can significantly influence the emergence of intrapersonal conflicts. The basis of any theoretical construction of neo-Freudianism is considered to be the concept of the unconscious and the fundamental conflict of relations between the individual and society.
The main representatives of neo-Freudianism are K. Horney, G. Sullivan, E. Fromm and others. F. Alexander and A. Kardiner are often also considered followers of this trend.
K. Horney, in 1932, after emigrating to the USA, discovered that the background of the neurotic conflict in patients in the New World was significantly different from that in patients from Germany and Austria. Understanding this fact leads the researcher to abandon the Freudian theory of instinct. She recognizes the sociocultural conditioning of psychopathology.
Finished works on a similar topic
Coursework Representatives of neo-Freudianism: Eric Berne 440 ₽ Essay Representatives of neo-Freudianism: Eric Berne 240 ₽ Test work Representatives of neo-Freudianism: Eric Berne 210 ₽
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Thus, neo-Freudians remain committed to the idea of unconscious emotional motivation in human activity, with the assertion that psychopathology is relative and specific to each culture.
Freudian ideas were further developed in the works of followers. Thus, one of Freud’s closest associates, A. Adler, shifted the emphasis from the sexual unconscious to the unconscious desire for power as a basic drive. It manifests itself in human behavior within the family, interpersonal relationships and relationships among social groups.
Another close associate of the scientist C. G. Jung was involved in the development of the doctrine of the collective unconscious. It included a system of archetypes that determine the behavior of individuals and large social groups.
Ego states
For many of us, morning is a familiar sequence of actions: bathroom - breakfast - going to work. Each of them is accomplished without hesitation, “on autopilot.” At such moments we are in a state of self-controlling “Parent”.
On the way, we relax, unreasonably enjoy our mood, the sun and birdsong, the freshness of the invigorating air and a great morning - we allow our inner “Child” to manifest itself.
Suddenly, the metro, which we usually take to get to the office, is closed. We are forced to solve a specific problem - choose a path: take buses, catch a taxi or work at home. We switch from the state of “parental autopilot” to “manual control”, transferring the initiative to the “Adult”.
In just a few minutes, on the way to the office, we visited different states of the ego - our “I”.
At every moment of life, our feelings, thoughts, words, reactions and actions are determined by one of three possible ego states:
- I am a Parent
- I'm an Adult
- I am a child
Transactional analysis by Eric Berne is a ready-made set of tools for analyzing the states of our Self. Each of us can learn to use them without plunging into the jungle of the unconscious.
Carefully observe mom/dad for about 10 minutes. Notice how at least two ego states appear. She had just taught her daughter from the position of “Parent,” and in a split second she reacted to her husband’s remark from the position of “Child.” And after a few minutes, having thought, she spoke to him as an “Adult”.
Changes in ego states can and do occur quickly and frequently , and from time to time all states or two out of three appear simultaneously.
