The Classic Bestseller that has Changed the Lives of Millions
"Extraordinary. Harris has helped millions find the freedom to change,
liberate their adult effectiveness, and achieve joyful intimacy with
others." --Los Angeles Times
Transactional analysis delineates three ego-states (Parent, Adult and
Child) as the basis for the content and quality of interpersonal
communication. "Happy childhood" notwithstanding, says Harris, most of
us are living out the not OK feelings of a defenseless child wholly
dependent on others (parents) for stroking and caring. At some stage
early in our lives we adopt a "position" about ourselves and others that
determines how we feel about everything we do. And for a huge portion of
the population, that position is "I'm Not OK-You're OK." This negative
"life position," shared by successful and unsuccessful people alike,
contaminates our rational adult capabilities, leaving us vulnerable to
inappropriate, emotional reactions of our child and uncritically learned
behavior programmed into our parent. By exploring the structure of our
personalities and understanding old decisions, Harris believes we can
find the freedom to change our lives.