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Dr. Berne states that this book was planned to be read and understood independently of Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy, and this review shall address itself to the work in that spirit. It has enjoyed great popularity, but in spite of its acclaim among the general public, only occasional reference is made to it in analytic circles.
Dr. Berne's theory of social intercourse is rooted in the biological fact that stimulus-hunger and sensory deprivation can lead to profound physiological and psychological disturbances. After infancy, according to Dr. Berne, stimulus-hunger must be transformed into recognition-hunger which can be satisfied by “stroking,” that is, any act implying recognition of another's presence. An exchange of strokes constitutes a “transaction,” the unit of social intercourse. Stroking has survival value. After stimulus-hunger and recognition-hunger comes structure-hunger. The need to structure time is handled by the operation of programming, the means by which individuals secure to themselves the advantage of social contact. Dr. Berne finds it preferable to investigate social transaction from the point of view of gains rather than defenses.
He gives a brief description of structural analysis and describes three categories of ego states: those which resemble ego states of parental figures; those autonomously directed toward reality; and those which represent childhood fixations. These are referred to as Parent, Adult and Child. Each state has a high survival value. Analysis is indicated only when one or the other of them disturbs the healthy balance. Simple transactional analysis is concerned with diagnosing which ego states implement various transactional stimuli and responses. In complementary transactions the response is appropriate and expected. In the situation of two people solving a problem, the transaction is adult to adult. If one of the parties feels rebuked he will respond as child to parent, resulting in a crossed transaction and disru