Transactional Analysis Theory - Types of Scripts

This blog comes from Ajit Karve, BSc, BTA, a Transformational TA Coach

+919822024037; ajitpkarve@gmail.com

See the other blogs here : Table of Contents

Types of Scripts

Three types of scripts are identified by Berne. They are winner, non-winner and loser. A winner is a person who makes and fulfils a contract he makes either with himself or with the world. He makes this commitment himself with his Adult making the final commitment. A winner is also distinguished from a loser by knowing what to do if he fails, but does not say much about what he will do if he wins. A loser to the contrary is one who thinks and speaks about what he would do if he wins, but does not know what he would do if he fails. This means that while a winner has a Plan B in place and has capacity for forecasting and resolving constraints, the loser has neither of these. In a typical loser the script provocation, the come-on and the demon together bring about the person's doom. They are characteristic of the loser script.

Berne also describes the lives of winners, non winners and losers in these terms. He says that their lives are like the courses of rivers. Winners are like rivers which empty their contents into the sea. Non winners are like rivers which end in marshy lands. Losers are like rivers which dry up mid-way, usually in a desert.

Types of Scripts are also sometimes described as degrees of Scripts. Winner scripts are first degree scripts. Non winner scripts are also called banal scripts and are categorised as second degree scripts. Loser scripts are also called as hamartic scripts and are categorised as third degree scripts.

It may not be wrong to say that an autonomous person is focused on achieving his aspirational goals. The Loser on the other hand is blinded to actualise his / her script goals.

Human beings have a horizontal vision angle of 194 degrees. Of this 114 degrees is available in binocular vision. This provides for depth perception. Autonomous persons are persons who are able to see reality in conscious awareness and deal with it appropriately using options and spontaneity. These persons are few and far between. Winners are able to generate conscious awareness at will and deal with reality sanely, safely, appropriately and conclusively. Non winners live an uneventful life largely directed by their destiny and fate. The do the same rote jobs day in and day out. Their lives are without major incidents. Losers have a vision focused by their script goal. They slip to script control or their scripty response is turned on almost on every stimulus. They doggedly pursue their script goal acquisition.

~~~~~

Click here > for next topic - Relevance of Scripts in our Lives
Click here > to see other topics in this section

Click here > to see Table of Contents of all Blogs

Click here> to see list of books referred to by author for these blogs