CLAUDE STEINER

It is little wonder that most people who get into emotional difficulties are loath to consult a psychotherapist. We do not want to hear that the trouble is to be found entirely within us and that, at the same time, we have no control or understanding of our difficulties. We do not want to hear these things about ourselves not because we are “resistant to change” or “unmotivated” for psychotherapy, but because they are not true, because they insult our intelligence, and because they rob us of our power to control our lives and destinies.

The building blocks of the theory of transactional analysis (TA) are three observable forms of ego function: the Parent, the Adult, and the Child. They may seem to resemble three basic psychoanalytic concepts—the superego, the ego, and the id—but they are, in fact, quite different

The Child ego state tends to be fleeting in grownups because of a general societal injunction against “childish behavior.” However, Child ego states can be observed in situations which are structured to permit childlike behavior, such as sports events, parties, and revivals.