Remembering ‘I’m OK – You’re OK’

Eric Berne (Games People Play) and Thomas A. Harris (I’m OK – You’re OK) were both popular for their books that were widely considered “self-help” books that focused on the theories of transactional analysis (TA) and script theory. While the value of TA was debated by experts who, like Berne, were trained psychoanalysts, I found the concept to be very workable in industry courses in supervision and management in the 1970s.

The concepts were easy to understand and helped explain why “messed up” (to use that technical term again) interactions between supervisors and subordinates led to trouble. Script theory and games were outside the parameters of the courses we wrote, so Harris’ book suited our needs best because it worked so well showing how a  “crossed transaction” could occur and tangle up relationships in the workplace.

I have no idea whether or not clinical psychologists used any of these theories in private practice or not. In my work for the Illinois Department of Mental Health, we used–and were successful with– behavioral conditioning. Many of our patients were developmentally disabled and often nonverbal, so the concepts of TA would have been impossible to apply in most cases.

There’s a lot of nostalgia looking back on TA, Games, and Scripts because they were part of my work at two organizations where those in the courses provided positive feedback about the concepts. Personally, I think Harris’ book would still provide help to many individuals today who find they’re constantly getting into arguments with family and friends over issues arising out of their communication with each other.

–Malcolm