Transactional Analysis Proper—and Improper

Book excerpt: Transactional Analysis Proper—and Improper: Selected and New Papers offers a critical reading of transactional analysis (TA), which analyses, deconstructs, and reconstructs its foundational theory. Keith Tudor’s work is detailed, informative, and critical, and written with deep affection for TA and its founder, Eric Berne. Beginning with its philosophical foundations, Tudor considers TA’s ontological assumptions about the essence of human beings, its method and methodology, and its treatment philosophy. A series of chapters then review and advance TA’s theory of transactions, ego states, life scripts, and psychological games, and the book concludes with two chapters which both honor TA’s traditions and look forward to what TA might do differently. This book offers a unique ‘insider but independent’ perspective on transactional analysis. It will be essential reading for students and practitioners of transactional analysis and encourages free, independent, and critical thinking about TA and its place in the world.