Transactional Analysis Theory - Sense of Self and Moving Self

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Sense of Self and Moving Self

Petruska Clarkson has mentioned in her book 'Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy' that Berne has used the terms 'moving self', 'real self' and 'feeling of self' interchangeably. She also says that: "It gives the experience of  'this is really me' though this self may reside in a borrowed or historical ego state". She adds that this self is understood as a phenomenological reality at any given moment in time. In a healthy state and in neurosis the real self resides in the Adult, while in psychosis it resides in the Child. A diagram picturing one set of possibilities is given in figure 19.

Figure 19

A person can be in one ego state and watch it from another ego state. Conversations between ego states are common. Sometimes they are heard, but mostly not. With gain in awareness we can witness the many dialogues that go on within our mind. Not only that, urges, drives, impulses, swings of emotions and deep desires, wishes and aspirations can be observed in awareness. 

Berne says that the psychological principle of the Moving Self is as important as the biological principle of Plastic Face for keeping the script going. It is based on a defect of awareness. The feeling of 'Self' is a mobile one, he says. It can reside in any of the three ego states at any given moment. It can jump from one to the other as the occasion arises. That is, the feeling of Self is independent of all other properties of ego states and of what the ego states are doing. The ego state that is active is experienced as the real Self at that moment.* This real Self could be either Parent or Child or Adult.

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*Berne, E. What Do You Say After You Say Hello Chapter 14 B. The Moving Self