An Analysis of Nonverbal Transactions Drawing on Theories of Intersubjectivity

Abstract

This article proposes that Berne's focus on the transactional nature of psychotherapy foreshadowed later developments in psychoanalysis that have come to be known as “relational psychoanalysis.” Relational psychoanalysis, which introduced the interpersonal and intersubjective experience into traditional psychoanalysis, brought psychoanalysis into a more interactive framework. Given that Berne's intention for transactional analysis was to enable people to communicate more effectively–to move away from games and toward intimacy–the authors offer further thinking about how this aim can be realized by developing relational thinking within transactional analysis. This article builds on ideas that have emerged in the transactional analysis journals of the last 2 decades (Cornell & Hargaden, in press), which provide a template of the evolution of relational transactional analysis. One of the main components of this theoretical perspective is the theory of intersubjectivity. The authors propose that this theory significantly alters the theory of transactional analysis proper and adds a deeper understanding to the transferential relationship. The focus in this article is primarily on the nonverbal aspects of intersubjectivity with a view to building on the relational theory of Hargaden and Sills (2002).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brian Fenton

Helena Hargaden, B.A. (Hons.), M.Sc. (TA), is a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. She has a private practice in South London, is director of a post-qualified course on relational transactional analysis in Kent, England, and a tutor in the M.Sc. course in transactional analysis at the Metanoia Institute. She can be reached by writing to Helena Hargaden, 43, Brockley Park, London SE23 1PT, United Kingdom; email: [email protected].

Brian Fenton, Psych B.Sc. (Hons.), is a Certified Transactional Analyst in private practice and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. He lives and works in Whitstable, Kent. He can be reached by writing Brian Fenton, 6 Acton Rd., Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1JH, United Kingdom; email: [email protected].