Transactional Analysis Therapy – Transactions
How one interacts with people verbally & non verbally to understand the issues in communication)
Note: Here Parent denotes an authority figure, Child denotes a submissive figure and Adult denotes an equal person to the other. From which ego state the transactions happen is perceived based on the tone, gesture, posture and eye contact and not just by the content.
Transaction Types:
When we interact with each other, there are three types of transactions:
- Parallel (Complementary)
- Crossed
- Hidden (Ulterior)
1. Parallel (Complementary)
Parallel or complementary transactions are those where the individuals respond as expected. This means when I address someone’s Child ego state from my parent ego state, I expect them to respond from their Child.
In such cases – when the players ‘know’ which roles to play – the interaction can continue through numerous transactions, each person reacting as expected from their set ego state. The numbers are given in the brackets in the diagram.
2. Crossed
These are transactions in which the respondent comes from an ego state which is not the one ‘expected’ by the initiator. Because of this, crossed transactions tend to come to an end sooner than parallel transactions. The first example diagram below shows the interaction with the respondent in Parent ego state, whereas the second example diagram shows an Adult response to the same initial transaction.
3. Hidden (Ulterior)
Hidden transactions are the ones which appear to be straightforward communications but which actually contain an unspoken message that carries with it a hidden agenda.
These transactions mostly lead to games (drama triangle) being played. They can often be seen in personal relationships and avoiding them can require some discipline from the individuals involved.
With ulterior transactions there is a hidden hook which pulls us into a drama triangle if we are not aware of what is happening.