Transactional Analysis Therapy – Script
To help client’s get self-awareness and to work with long term issues/patterns
The theory of life-script was developed by Eric Berne; the notion suggests that our stories are very much written unconsciously and from birth. From 0-7 years all the roles are allocated, including our own as the leading person, and by 7 all the main parts of the story are plotted; they’re then to be tweaked and buffed through to the age of 12 years.
These life scripts then continue to have a deep and unconscious effect on how we live our lives. They affect the decision we make. They control what we think we could easily do and could never do. They shape our self-image. And yet we seldom realize where they come from or even do not know that they exist at all.
Our life scripts are often encouraged and shaped by parents and other family members, whose life scripts were shaped by their parents and so on. In this way, we become a product of our family’s history. Likewise, our scripts are also woven by cultural and national forces.
Life scripts are not all the same as they may also be significantly affected by individual events, such as being criticized by a teacher or bullied by other children.
One of the techniques that is use to reveal scripts is to ask people to recall their favourite stories as children. Clients are then asked who their favourite character is in the story and who they identify with. They are asked to consider the beginning, middle and end of the story. And to determine how they fit into the stories or fables and how the story is reflected in their current life.
Another way of getting to a relevant script is to ask people to think about what they believe will happen when they are in old age. Do they believe they will be alive at 80 or 90 years old, be healthy, happy, and contented? What do they think will be on their headstone or grave? What would they like to have on it?
In order to change one’s script, awareness about the origin of our thoughts, feelings and behavior through Ego States (Personality Structure) will be helpful.