Living Equalities

Transactional Analysis

Transactional Analysis (TA) is one of the three pillars of theory that Living Equalities is based on. TA has been widely shared across the Trust and many staff have attended at least the introductory course (TA101). For a more detailed outline of TA principles and theory take a look at the course materials for the initial training.

For the purposes of Living Equalities, TA is an important approach for a couple of reasons. First, it provides a robust theoretical framework which supports the methodology of non-violent communication. Second, TA offers many models which we can draw on to understand social change at the psychological and systemic levels.

Within our library of TA resources we offer the following:

• Ego states, relational units and identity

  One way in which our sense of self is maintained is through structural ego states and we present a way in which we can identify the content of the structural ‘archive’ in relation to gender, race or class, for example. Here's an exercise to explore an intra-psychic dimension of personal identity relating to entitlement, privilege and power.

• Intersectional Permission Wheel

  The concept of the permission wheel will be familiar to those who have been part of the EdTA programme. For those interested in exploring the basic model see here.

  In the context of Living Equalities we have adapted the model further and can use it to explore the relationship with aspects of our own identity across intersectional factors. The focus in this exercise is on the intra-psychic process.

  This model can be linked with the Privilege Identity Exploration wheel which is focused on the inter-personal impact of intersectionality.

• Drama Triangle & the Bystander Role

  The Drama Triangle is a way in which we can explore psychological game-playing, a common concept in TA. For a general introduction to the ‘games people play’ see here.

  

  Stephan Karpman introduced the drama triangle in 1968 as a way of explaining how that at any given point in time, while people may appear to be in one particular role at the social level, they are almost always operating from all the three roles at the same time. For example, when a black female student gives an opinion in a classroom discussion, a white male student turns back and says, “Wasn’t that too intelligent for you?” and the whole class starts laughing. The black female student may appear to be in the victim role, the white student may be seen as in the persecutor role, and all the students who laughed may also come across as in the role of persecutor. It is fully possible that while the white male student seems to be the persecutor on the social level, he was also feeling victimised by his jealousy and sense of intellectual (?) competition with the black female student. When he made his comment, he therefore could be seen to rescue the other students - who were also possibly feeling jealous of her intelligence - from dealing with their own sense of inadequacy.

  The Bystander Role

  Petrushka Clarkson spoke about the role of bystander in the drama triangle. She described the bystander role as when a person does not become actively involved in a situation where someone else requires help. In the above example, if the teacher chooses to remain silent and turned a blind eye to what happened in the classroom, then she has possibly slipped into the role of being a bystander.

  School is ideally the place where the pupil is supposed to learn how to be a responsible global citizen. When a learner’s unconscious biases around gender/race/class/sexuality remain unchal0lenged at school, despite being witnessed by the teacher, these kind of exchanges shift from being an educational opportunity to a school experience that reinforces or embeds inequality.

  

  Clarkson states that by not challenging or intervening bystanders give tacit permission to the abuse of power occurring in their environment. She quotes Roberts (1984), "According to folk wisdom, each of us must decide to be either a part of the problem or the solution and not to decide is to decide". Therefore, it is the prime responsibility of teachers to be acutely aware of the oppressive forces operating in the classroom, make timely interventions to sensitize stu-dents to their impact on others and also help them decontaminate their adult thinking from the internalised parental/cultural beliefs.

  Clarkson also gently draws our attention to recognising the value of involvement in humanistic psychology orientated toward social change. She states that the basic assumptions of TA, as a branch of humanistic psychology, mandates active involvement to alleviating the plight of the less fortunate, as well as in attending to the welfare of clients/students.

  Based on the discount matrix, Clarkson raises five critical questions that would help in dealing with bystanding situations:

  1. Am I aware of what is happening in my environment?
  2. Is help needed?
  3. Is it my responsibility?
  4. What are the viable options for taking action to change the situation?
  5. What action I am taking?

  References:
  Game free life - Karpman
  Petruska Clarkson (1987) The Bystander Role, Transactional Analysis Journal, 17:3, 82-87, DOI: 10.1177/036215378701700305

Anisha Pandya’s Pacifier Model

Here’s the diagram that is featured in the Living Equalities programme.

If you are interested in the full article explaining the background to the model see here.

Joy Roshan's Power Positions and Power Moves