Transactional Analysis Theory and Practice: Functional Model of Personality

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Functional Model of Personality

Functional ego states are descriptive aspects of structural ego states. Names of functional ego states are generated by using adjectival qualifiers for structural ego states. In the functional model the circles are divided vertically to show the subdivisions.

While the structural model is constructed using three stacked circles as shown in figure 9(a) below, the functional model looks like the one shown in figure 9(b). 

  

The Parent manifests as Controlling Parent (CP) and Nurturing Parent (NP). The Child manifests as Adapted Child (AC) and Free Child (FC). Adult has no subdivision. The functional Parent and Child ego states can be described as being positive if they are life supporting and do not display one up or one down disposition. If they do, they are negative. When positive they are healthy manifestations of the ego states and when negative they are unhealthy manifestations of the ego states.

The classification is as appears in the statement given in figure 10.

Figure 10

Parent: Parent is said to be controlling when it displays firmness and authority, and provides safety and security. It is said to be nurturing when it displays caring and helping. Parents also have the responsibility of disciplining their child and teaching it the ways of the world. The child on its part is programmed to clear several developmental tasks - these are cognitive, social, sexual, emotional and psychological tasks in the main. Parental interventions may be counter-productive to the child's goal seeking. In clearing these tasks the child may take risks, do things destructively, harm self, do things that damage property and the like. The parents are then called to step in and limit, stop, reprimand, assist, and help the child. The child on its part may resist this parental role play. The parents are compelled in a way to teach the growing child the ways of the world and how to adapt to survive in the face of challenges and difficulties. The parental interventions may not be to the liking of the child for the most part. The child's behaviour and activities may stress up the parents. When the stress crosses a threshold the parents, who are themselves programmed either by their own parents or by the knowledge they have gained through their learning and education, carry out child care and upbringing processes either by encouraging, demonstrating, coaxing, reasoning, negotiating with the child in a loving and caring way or by reprimanding, denying, manipulating, black-mailing, and many a time punishing and hurting the child. One of these ways supports an esteem supporting method, and the other an esteem denying method. Thus two types of Controlling and Nurturing Parent result. The Positive Controlling Parent and the Negative Controlling Parent and the Positive Nurturing Parent and the Negative Nurturing Parent. The Positive Parent is biologically / endocrinologically programmed. The Negative Parent is externally programmed. The negative aspect of the Controlling Parent is called the Critical Parent (also the Punitive Parent or the Persecuting Parent) and the negative aspect of Nurturing Parent is called the Rescuing Parent. These divisions are shown in figure 11.

Figure 11

Child: The Child as a functional ego state may manifest functioning free of Parent programming or under Parent programming. The Child functioning under Parent programming is called Adapted Child and the Child functioning free of Parent Programming is called Free Child - This Free Child is also called Natural Child (NC) when its manifestations are representative of natural Child behaviours.

The growing child is tasked to clear many developmental tasks. They are physical, motor, cognitive, emotional, social, sexual, and psychological tasks. It is also faced with many a restrictions parents pose or impose. The child has to perforce concede to parental pressures and other restrictions. It is completely dependent on parents and has no where to go, no one to complain to or seek help from - and even if available at times, they are not around all 24 hours of the day and therefore not dependable. As a result the Functional Child manifests in two ways. The Adapted Child and the Free Child. The Adapted Child functions under influence of the internal Parent while the Free Child is free of such Parent influence. Adapted Child is further classified as Positive Adapted Child and Negative Adapted Child. The Negative Adapted Child has two sub-classifications - the Rebellious Child and the Compliant Child. The Free Child is mostly positive but its negative aspects show up when it is un-briddled and lacks self control. It then lacks due regard for safety, security and the least of social norms. It is thus divided as Positive Free Child and Negative Free Child. These classifications are shown in figure 12.

Figure 12

Adult: Adult has no classification. A healthy functional Adult performs all its roles well. These are those of data collection, sifting, evaluating, storing, doing reality testing, problem solving and decision making. A well structured functional Adult exhibits sanity, safety and appropriateness. A person with such an Adult is respected in society for his knowledge, skills, talents and aptitudes, and behaviour marked by logic, rationality, practicality, balanced and free of bias. In many books such an Adult is said to be dry. A dry Adult lacks support from a permissive Parent and an acquiescent Child. If these two are available, the person is vibrant. I describe such an Adult as being an Empowered Adult.

The Functional Adult is sometimes described as being an integrated Adult. In the topic on Structural Ego States it was mentioned that a healthy Adult records experiences along with data. It may therefore be integrating Parent data in terms of values, principles, rules and norms of behaviour as examples. It may also be recording Child attributes. In this way the Adult becomes better equipped to relate to and deal with reality without challenging the Parent or the Child.

A healthy Adult is an Adult that has contents of recorded experiences from the times the person is past 22 years of age. A healthy Adult is also free of pathology. It functions with Parent support and Child acquiescence. Such an Adult is shown in the figures that appears below:

In Conclusion: Functional Ego States are descriptive aspects of structural ego states. Some descriptive words that we use to describe people are: strict, stickler for rules, disciplined, considerate, kind, helpful, hard working, lazy, energetic, creative, intelligent, innovative, creative, mischievous, fun loving, difficult to control, obedient, pleasing, trickster, attentive, well mannered, un-responsive, accommodating, tries, hurrying, organised, communicative, problem solver, quick thinker, good analyst, logical, rational, open minded, open to suggestions, fun loving and so forth. These descriptive words match naming words for functional ego states.

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