Transactional Analysis is a psychotherapeutic approach created by Eric Berne that helps us better understand how we function internally and how we relate to others. Although Transactional Analysis also finds application in other areas such as education, counselling and organisations, in this article we will focus on the therapeutic context, which offers a deep and transformative path to heal emotional wounds, review repetitive patterns and rewrite the script we live by.
One of the core concepts of Transactional Analysis is that every person has within themselves three “ego states”: the Parent (which conveys norms, beliefs and judgments), the Adult (which observes and makes decisions based on present logic) and the Child (which feels, reacts, plays or protects itself).
These are not roles or masks, but actual parts of the personality, representing different ways of feeling, thinking and acting. We can imagine that inside each of us lives a small inner family:
The Parent ego state is formed by everything we have absorbed from authority figures, especially during childhood. It can be protective, encouraging, but also critical or limiting. It is that inner voice that says, “You shouldn’t do that,” “Be strong,” or “Don’t cry.”
The Adult ego state, on the other hand, is the most objective and rational part: it gathers information from the environment and makes decisions based on the “here and now,” without judgments from the past or uncontrolled emotional impulses.
Lastly, the Child ego state contains our most primitive emotions: joy, sadness, anger, fear, creativity and also our emotional wounds. It is that part of us that may react with tenderness or despair, seeking attention, affection, play… or protection.
Transactional Analysis allows us to analyse not only how we function internally but also how we communicate with others. This is called a transaction, which refers to any communicative exchange between two people. But beyond the words, what Transactional Analysis is interested in is: from which ego state is each person speaking? Are you speaking to your partner from your wounded Child or from your calm Adult? Is your boss addressing you from their critical Parent or from a collaborative Adult? Understanding these dynamics is key to grasping why some relationships feel so difficult, confusing or repetitive.
Another fundamental concept of Transactional Analysis is the life script. From a very young age, we have unconsciously written a story about who we are, how we should behave and what we can expect from others. This script is based on the messages we received during childhood: “Don’t be a nuisance,” “Be perfect,” “Don’t cry,” “You have to please others,” etc. Over time, these beliefs become life decisions that we continue to follow, even when they no longer serve us. So, without knowing it, we walk paths we have not consciously chosen, repeating relational patterns, sabotaging our goals or staying trapped in emotions we do not understand.
Psychotherapy using Transactional Analysis offers a space to recognise these old scripts and rewrite them from a freer, more adult and authentic place. It is not about forcing change through willpower or positive thinking, but about understanding where our automatic responses come from, how they were formed and what we need today to live more in alignment with who we truly are.
The therapeutic work with Transactional Analysis is rigorous, deep and human. It helps develop a clear awareness of our internal states, strengthens the Adult ego state and heals the wounds that keep the Child trapped in the past. It also enables us to relate more authentically and less reactively, both with ourselves and with others.
In essence, Transactional Analysis is not just about improving communication or managing emotions. It goes further: it invites us to revisit the foundations from which we live and relate. It offers a compass to step out of automatisms and into a freer, more connected, spontaneous and authentic life.