Transactional analysis

Eric Berne built Transactional Analysis (TA) on a deceptively simple idea: at any moment you're speaking from one of three ego states, and once you can spot which one, you can decode almost any interaction. TA is famously accessible — and the NCE tests its vocabulary directly.

The three ego states are Parent, Adult, and Child (the PAC model). The Parent is the internalized voice of authority figures — nurturing or critical. The Adult is the rational, here-and-now, reality-processing part (the goal state for clear communication). The Child is the seat of feelings, spontaneity, and impulses — the felt experience from early life. A transaction is an exchange between two people's ego states; complementary transactions (e.g., Adult-to-Adult) run smoothly, while crossed transactions (you speak Adult-to-Adult but get a Parent-to-Child reply) break down communication.

Strokes are units of recognition — any acknowledgment of another person. Positive strokes build worth; even negative strokes beat being ignored, because humans are stroke-hungry. Games are recurring, ulterior-transaction sequences with a hidden payoff and a predictable bad-feeling ending — Berne cataloged them in Games People Play (e.g., "Why Don't You—Yes But"). Life positions are basic existential stances about self and others: I'm OK–You're OK (the healthy goal), I'm OK–You're Not OK, I'm Not OK–You're OK, and I'm Not OK–You're Not OK.

Clinical Pearl: Memorize the trio Parent–Adult–Child (Adult = the rational goal state) and the four life positions with I'm OK–You're OK as the healthy one. Strokes = recognition, and games = repetitive ulterior transactions with a payoff — that's the TA vocabulary examiners want.