Transactional
Analysis and Automatic Processing
Transactional
Analysis [1] states that human personality is made up of three elements
which he referred to as Parent, Adult and Child. . In any given situation an individual will
exhibit a certain pattern of behavior which corresponds to the way that person
is actually feeling at the time. As feelings change, so also do the patterns of
behavior which the person displays.
The Parent
ego state represents a set of thoughts, feelings and behavior which are
derived from parental figures. Parent
ego state enables people to respond automatically in many situations. This
enables the
person to react quickly and without unnecessary energy. Parent ego state has all the attributes of any
automatic process.
Contrary to the controlled processes automatic
processes [2] involve selection without
awareness. These processes are effortless, fast, and can be carried out
concurrently with other processes without compromising performance. Once
automatic processes are initiated, they are difficult to modify. So, if a person raises his/her voice it is
very unlikely that it will stop before its content ends.
Also, automatic
processes typically do not produce changes in declarative long-term memory.
Consequently, a person may drive home from work on ‘auto-pilot’ and have no
conscious memory of the trip. This may
be the reason why people do not remember much after they quarrel loudly.
The
automatic processes are performed automatically but they can also be executed
consciously. They are part of the
subconscious. The preconscious
(subconscious)- consists of anything that could potentially be brought
into the conscious mind[1]. Subconscious defines
all reactions and automatic actions we can become aware of if we think about
them.
For example, our
ability to drive a car: once we get skilled we stop thinking which gears to
use, which pedals to press, or which mirror to look at, yet can always become aware
of what was done once we think about it [3].
The subconscious is the
transition between unconscious and conscious.
It is an interface with which conscious communicates with the
unconscious. It also helps to hide the
plethora of information/feelings etc. that reside in the unconscious [4].
It is not rare that we hear an ATCO
shouting at a pilot. It is possibly an
automatic, unintentional behavior which is triggered similar to a situation in
her/his childhood and carried by the parent ego.
The sudden feeling of fear from
controlling parents at childhood may trigger shouting. It is not likely that the shouting person can
modify his/her behavior during the intercourse. The use of standard pilot - ATCO jargon-like
in 4444 may reduce the risks related to this situation.
REFERENCES:
[1]
Aldi Yudha; Counselling Skills and theory, 4th Edition by Margaret Hough (2014)
[2] LANA M. TRICKy*, JAMES T. ENNSz, JESSICA MILLSz and JOHN VAVRIKx, ‘Paying attention behind the wheel: a
framework for studying the roleof attention in driving’,Theor. Issues in Ergon. Sci. September–October 2004, vol. 5, no. 5, 385–424, (yDepartment of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada,
zUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada,xInsurance
Corporation of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
[4] Gregory Mitchell; The Cognitive
Unconscious
[5] Dr.
Robert Williams; Processing Information with Nonconscious Mind, JOURNAL
PSYCHE,
University
of Texas at Austin, American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA).
