Tuesday, 10 April 2018

Transactional Analysis Theory and Practice: Group 1 Terms Explained

This blog comes from Ajit Karve, BSc, BTA, a Transformational TA Coach
+919822024037; ajitpkarve@gmail.com

See the other blogs here : Table of Contents

Explanation of Group 1 Goals

Personal Growth

Personal growth can be compared to sprouting pulses. All we do is to soak the pulses in water for a few hours. Then we keep the pulses wrapped up in a wet cloth over night. The pulses sprout typically in twelve hours. It may take longer if the room temperature is low. What we have done for the pulses to sprout is supply water and a moist environment.

We need to do two things in order to implement personal growth on the same lines. One is to make a conscious decision to re-run processes on new lines. As an example, if I get angry with others under varied circumstances, I know that I run a anger racket. I tend to justify, protect, even profess that my behaviour is appropriate. My anger escalates when questioned. I use it to manipulate others to gain attention in the hope that it will end the prevailing situation and/ or solve a problem. Sadly, this does not happen. I realise my scripty racketing and decide to express my anger using the Non Violent Communication (NVC) steps. They are: (1) Report the observation; (2) Report the feeling; (3) Report the need; (4) Make a request. So in this instant condition I realise that I have got angry, I show my palms to the other party to say, please wait. Now I roll back, by saying this: Please hold on . . . . I got angry. Let me present my response in another way. Then follow the NVC steps. Presto doors open to end the situation / solve the problem in a new way. This is one of two things. The other one is to deal with the anger. To do this I give my mind permission to forget the held up anger by saying this. O! My Mind. I grant you permission to try out other means of communicating your disagreement, expressing your need, and making an effort to end the situation / solve the problem safely, sanely, effectively and in a friendly way. Saying this three times empowers my mind to give up rigidity and work with options - how else.

Another way to generate personal growth is to enable positive aspects of personality to be operative consciously whenever we face situations. This is represented in the figure that appears at the end of this section.

It may be noted that positive aspects of Child, Adult and Parent ego states go to generate personal growth. In the Child they are both structural and functional elements. In the Adult they are the reality principle promoting aspects, reality testing aspects and capacity to generate age appropriate Adult responses. These are with focus on dealing with people and situations sanely, safely, effectively and upholding acceptance, worth, value and esteem of self and the other/s. In the Parent they are endocrinologically programmed structural as well as functional Parent attributes that are consciously activated.

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Personal Development

Personal Development is likened to an agriculturist caring for his crop, or a gardener caring for his plants. In both cases of activity the person rakes the soil around the plant, he de-weeds the soil, he removes dead leaves and twigs, he sprays insecticides where required, he waters the plant and takes care of it through its growth cycle till it yields the crop / fruits / flowers as relevant. 

Similarly, the practitioner does the same with thinking, feeling, emotions, actions, behaviour, perceptions, evaluations, assessments and responses in matter of Personal Development. The practitioner consciously and deliberately gets rid of the unwanted aspects and cares to incorporate the necessary aspects. Yes there are injunctions and drivers in control. Berne says that one can get over them by 'disregarding their command'. Here I propose giving permission to the mind to set it aside and to apply and activate the desirable process. This is done by saying this to the mind: O! my mind. I find that you are in a lock-jam in thinking / feeling / emotion / action / behaviour / perception / evaluation / assessment / response. I find that you are inhibited from doing otherwise. I also find that you are controlled by the driver. I grant you permission to make a sane choice, act safely and effectively so as to end the situation, solve the problem, make a decision, face the difficulty, overcome the condition, face the challenge and accept and resolve the conflict. I also grant you permission to interact with the other affectionately, observing discipline and cordiality. I also grant you permission to reconnect to the other in intimacy and be free of the undesirable outcomes which you can always leave behind (to age in dust on a shelf of a closed shop) and reconnect for better living.

Personal Development takes place by consciously giving up script-prone-ness and script-ridden-ness. This is possible by having an action plan to deal with rackety displays, fantasies, autistic thinking, escalated somatic ailments, and script belief related hook-ups.
~~~~~Personal Effectiveness

Berne gives the example of a dentist and his experienced assistant to differentiate between what is efficient and what is effective. While the assistant can do most of the dental work by himself, he is unable to do anything if the patient faints or passes out. It is here that the dentist is capable. Transactional Analysis insists on positive outcomes, self contract, determining outcomes in terms of observable goals, action plan to represent personal effectiveness in implementing self therapy. 

Personal Effectiveness in having awareness in dealing with persons who are likely to manipulate as part of their script. 

Personal Effectiveness also shows in the many ways that a person is able to deal with:

     Situation, by ending the situation;
     Problem, by solving the problem;
     Decision, by making a decision;
     Difficulty, by facing the difficulty;
     Condition, by enduring the condition;
     Challenge, by facing the challenge;
     Conflict, by accepting and resolving the conflict;
     Game, by rolling back at switch or cross-up and proceeding to complete the          initial topic;
     Racket, by acknowledging the behaviour, action, mannerism or other and              behaving or acting in a new way;

Effectiveness also shows up by observing discipline, cordiality, forgiving and forgetting in relationships. By making intimacy, love, affection and kindness rule supreme in relationships.

Personal Effectiveness is the quality of a person operating from an empowered Adult. An empowered Adult functions with a Permissive Parent and an acquiescent Free Child Support. It is represented as shown in the figure appearing below.
A person with an empowered Adult is able to use the Reality Principle and Reality Testing routinely. 

The person is free of incessant mind talk and emotional lock-jams with rackets. 
~~~~~Personal Transformation

Personal Transformation is the core of TA Theory. It is the recovery of our capacity to be free of script-ridden-ness. We then have the capacity to choose in new ways. We have the capacity to exercise options. We are able to manage our responses to urges, drives and impulses. We are able to exercise permissions when faced with blocking forces limiting our capacities. We are also able to exercise allowers when we are pressured by compulsive behaviours. We are free of passive behaviours. We are also free of our urge to connect with others in symbiosis. We are able to express love, affection, and kindness as also being friendly, forgiving and forgetting. We are able to interact with others without undermining them or experiencing being pushed down. We are also able to think, feel, act, behave in a script free manner. Script free persons are able to perceive, assess, evaluate and respond to reality situations free of script-ridden-ness.

Personal Transformation is the expression of the journey of moving from the limited to the unlimited.

Personal Transformation grants us the capacity to become our natural true self. This person is gifted with endocrinologically programmed Controlling and Nurturing Parent attributes. The person has a liberated Free Child. Thus the person is able to be happy and joyful in childlike ways.

Personal Transformation grants the capacity to be free of mind-talk, emotional lock-jams and psychological time engagements.

The person is able to live a physically, emotionally and psychologically healthy life. Life becomes a boon not a burden. The person can spend time in comfort when alone and also with equal comfort in the company of others.

The person is able to recognise that every person is different from every other person. He is able to achieve common goals in amity, mutuality of gain and without discord. The person is oriented to achieve common good and benefit alongside personal good and benefit.
~~~~~Personality Development

Personality in TA means the manner in which intra-psychic components (ego states) organise themselves in response to internal and external stimuli. A person with a healthy personality is able to choose between many courses of response and action the one which is most suitable to end the situation or solve a problem. This is keeping in mind that the response has to be sane, safe, effective and does not leave traces of hurt memories.

Such a personality is built by three processes. It starts with freeing the Free Child, followed by installing a permissive Parent and building an empowered Adult. 

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