TAJ Jan 2005 Abstracts

Transcending Polarization: Beyond Binary Thinking
Jack Denfeld Wood and Gianpiero Petriglieri
Human life is an emotional roller coaster, and when confronting emotionally charged events, individuals, groups, and larger collectivities instinctively frame their predicaments in a binary way—as a polarity encompassing a dimension of choice with two mutually exclusive alternatives. Events are thus construed as dilemmas to be resolved in favor of one alternative or the other. However, the inherent tension leading to polarization conceals an important developmental opportunity, if we “hold” the tension long enough to permit exploration, differentiation, and resolution by a third, “mediating” element. In this article the authors explore the regressive (defensive) and progressive (developmental) functions of the archetypal human propensity to polarize. The neural underpinnings and the psychology of binary thinking are considered followed by an examination of the dialectical patterns found in various schools of psychotherapy and the ways in which they represent attempts to harness the energy of polarization for healing and growth.

Brain Structures and Ego States
Jenni Hine
This article, the sequel to an earlier publication entitled “Mind Structures and Ego States” (Hine, 1997), considers recent research on neural functioning and its implications for the meaning of terms such as “ego,” “self,” and “mind.” The author draws, in particular, on the work of neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux (LeDoux, 2002; Nader, Schafe, & LeDoux, 2003). She joins a current of thinking in neuroscience that proposes that the sense of self as an entity is not an abstract metaphysical state but a product of the complex systems, and systems of systems, of neurons and their accompanying synaptic activity that underlie the development of such subjective experiences as self and mind. Insight into this synaptic activity is offered through the analysis of how sense is made of a set of common ambiguous pictures. Also drawing on the work of Stern (1985) and Nelson and Gruendel (1981), the author suggests a theory of Generalized Representations to describe the way this sense can be built up by babies and brains into the complex systems we call ego states. The connections between this understanding and transactional analysis are discussed, including some of the implications for our evolving understanding of the Parent, Adult, and Child systems, therapeutic interventions, and stroking and discounting processes. In addition, the article focuses on the interconnections among three levels of human functioning: the whole personality, mental process, and neural activity.

Neurological Subtrata of the Basic Ego States
Jorge Oller-Vallejo
This article relates contributions from the field of neuroscience to the basic functional model of ego states from transactional analysis. Among the diverse neuroanatomical and neurochemical operating systems that have been investigated and described, the author considers four to be the primary subcortical substrata of the three basic cerebral networks that neurologically sustain the manifestation of the three basic functional ego states. Previously, he also described the three main groups of neurological structures in the brain and their structural interplay in the ego states, considering them the cerebral substrata of the psychic organs.

Life Positions and Attachment Styles: A Canonical Correlation Analysis
Fredrick A. Boholst, Giselle B. Boholst, and Michael Mark B. Mende
This article describes research that investigates the relationship between life positions (Berne, 1962) and the attachment prototypes of Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991). These two constructs were perceived by the authors to have a one-to-one correspondence. “I’m OK, You’re OK” (I+U+) was hypothesized to be correlated with secure attachment; “I’m Not OK, You’re OK” (I-U+) with preoccupied attachment; “I’m OK, You’re Not OK” (I+U-) with the dismissing attachment prototype; and “I’m Not OK, You’re Not OK” (I-U-) with fearful attachment. The results of a canonical correlation analysis yielded R = .59, ÷² = 92.92 (df = 16), p < .01, showing a reliable relationship between the two major constructs under investigation. The squared canonical R was .348. This indicates that almost 35% of the variation is shared by life positions and attachment. At a specific level, secure attachment positively correlated with I+U+, r = .44, p < .05. Dismissing attachment correlated reliably with the parallel life position, I+U-, r = .20, p < .05, while the fearful attachment also correlated well with I-U-, r = .40, p < .05. Preoccupied attachment did not correlate with its conceptual parallel, I-U+, r = .05, p > .05; this is the only hypothesis that was not supported. The conceptual parallelism between the two constructs is argued, although their theoretical differences are also recognized.

Emotion Theories and Transactional Analysis Emotion Theory: A Comparison
Mária Nábrády
This article reviews current emotion theories and compares the connections between the transactional analysis approach to emotions with other, primarily academic views of emotions.

How Did You Become a Transactional Analyst?
Fanita English
In response to questions she is frequently asked about transactional analysis, the author briefly describes how she became interested in TA. In the process of presenting the theoretical material she now depends on for her work, she summarizes Eric Berne’s basic material, some underlying tenets from Freud, and some concepts she has added to transactional analysis.

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