What is a basic definition of a 'transaction' in TA?

What is a basic definition of a 'transaction' in TA?

• A. A formal agreement between client and therapist.
• B. The exchange between ego states during communication.
• C. The client's financial interactions.
• D. An instructional directive.

Answer: (B)

In TA, a transaction is the basic unit of social interaction: a message sent from one person’s ego state to another person’s ego state, followed by a response. People have Parent, Adult, and Child ego states, and a transaction occurs when one ego state communicates to another, such as an Adult-to-Adult exchange like “Let’s review the data and decide,” with a corresponding Adult response like “That makes sense.” This framing helps analysts see whether communications are complementary (aligned ego states) or crossed or ulterior (misaligned or hidden messages). The other options aren’t about the unit of communication in TA: a formal agreement is a relationship or contract, not the ego-state transaction; financial interactions aren’t the TA concept; and an instructional directive is a type of message, not the defined transaction itself.

In TA, a transaction is the basic unit of social interaction: a message sent from one person’s ego state to another person’s ego state, followed by a response. People have Parent, Adult, and Child ego states, and a transaction occurs when one ego state communicates to another, such as an Adult-to-Adult exchange like “Let’s review the data and decide,” with a corresponding Adult response like “That makes sense.” This framing helps analysts see whether communications are complementary (aligned ego states) or crossed or ulterior (misaligned or hidden messages).

The other options aren’t about the unit of communication in TA: a formal agreement is a relationship or contract, not the ego-state transaction; financial interactions aren’t the TA concept; and an instructional directive is a type of message, not the defined transaction itself.