The Contributions of Transactional Analysis to Integrative Psychotherapy

Abstract

This article analyzes the current state of integrative psychotherapy with respect to various levels of integration. Three core concepts from transactional analysis are proposed as metamodels for the integration process: (1) The racket system (Erskine & Zalcman, 1979) is proposed as a metatheoretical framework for integration on the levels of theory and methodology; (2) Berne's (1961) four-fold diagnostic schema of ego states is suggested as a metamodel for integrating and validating therapeutic methods within transactional analysis and among various psychotherapy approaches; and (3) Berne's (1972) theoretical concept of games, Formula G, is offered as a metamodel for integration and validation within transactional analysis and across approaches. The common ground between Freud's structure theory and Berne's transactional ego state psychology is also discussed.