frame of reference and redefining - transactional analysis - manu melwin joy

Frame of reference and redefiningTransactional Analysis

Prepared By Manu Melwin Joy

Assistant ProfessorIlahia School of Management Studies

Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114

Mail – [email protected]

Kindly restrict the use of slides for personal purpose. Please seek permission to reproduce the same in public forms and presentations.

IntroductionFrame of reference and redefining

Introduction

• I have my way of

perceiving the

world. You have

your way, and it will

be different from

mine.

Introduction

• Suppose you and I

stand outside a

window and look at

the room within. We

report to each other

what we see.

Introduction

• I say : “ It is a fairly

small room. It is

square in shape. There

are people in it. The

carpet is green and the

curtains are brown.

Introduction

• You report: “ It is a family

scene. The whole

atmosphere is warm.

There is a mother, father

and two kids. They are

talking and laughing. It is

a big room, so they have

plenty of space.

Introduction

• Judging by these reports,

a listener may think you

and I were looking at two

completely different

rooms. But the room is

same. It is our perception

of it that is different.

Introduction

• Were we each to report

on what we were hearing,

feeling, smelling or tasting

as we looked into the

room, the chances are

that our reports of these

perceptions would differ

also.

Introduction

• You and I would

respond to that scene

in different ways. I

might feel nothing in

particular, and walk

away after viewing the

room for a few minutes.

Introduction

• You might feel happy,

knock on the window

and open a cover

station with the

people inside.

Introduction

• Thus, you and I differ

in how we perceive

the scene and how we

respond to it. Your

frame of reference is

different from mine.

Frame of reference

Frame of reference

• The frame of reference is

defined by the Schiffs as the

structure of associated

responses which integrates

the various ego states in

response to specific stimuli.

Frame of reference

• It provides the individual

with an overall perceptual,

conceptual, affective and

action set, which is used to

define self, people and the

world.

Frame of reference

• To help explain this

formal definition, the

Schiffs say that the frame

of reference can be

thought of as a filter on

reality.

Frame of reference• As you and I looked at the

room, each of us filtered out

certain parts of the scene.

For instance, I noticed the

color of the carper but

filtered out the identities of

people in the room. You did

the opposite.

Frame of reference

• We also defined the size of

the room differently. To me,

It was fairly small. To you, it

was big. It so happens that I

was brought up in an old

house in the country where

all the rooms had been

large.

Frame of reference

• You spent your childhood in

a city flat where the rooms

were pocket sized. Thus,

the definition of a big room

in our respective frames of

reference is different.

Frame of reference

• You added another

definition. You said: “ The

whole atmosphere is

warm”. I had not defined

atmosphere and had not

even perceived it as part

of the scene.

Frame of reference

• We have each used same

words. But the meaning we

attach to the words are

quite different. The

definition of a warm

atmosphere may differ

between your and mine

frame of reference.

Frame of reference and ego states


• As an further aid to

understanding the frame

of reference, the Schiffs

suggest that it can be

thought of as a “skin that

surrounds the ego states

binding them together.


• As I perceive the world

according to my unique frame

of reference, I make my own

unique set of ego state

responses to that perceived

world. It is in this way that the

frame of reference integrates

the various ego states.


• As you and I looked into the

room, I got into Adult and

made a comment on shapes,

sizes and colors I saw in the

here and now. You were in the

child, replaying happy

memories of family scenes

which you had enjoyed in your

own childhood.


• Having made these ego

state shifts internally, we

transacted with each

other externally from the

ego states we had

chosen.


• Our frame of reference

gives us the patterns in

which we integrates our

ego state responses so as

to express our overall

personality.

Role of Parent in Frame of reference


• The parent ego state plays a

particularly important part

in the formulation of the

frame of reference. This is

because our frame of

reference consists of

definitions of the world, self

and others.


• It is our parent and parent

figures that we originally learn

these definitions. Depending

on the age at which we receive

them, they may be filed away

as a part of the content of our

own parent ego state (P2) or of

the parent of the child (P1).


• Each of us has a personal

set of parental

definitions of what is

good, bad, wrong, right,

scary, easy, difficult,

dirty, clean, fair, unfair,

and so on.


• It is on this set of

definitions that we base

our views of self, others

and the world. We

choose our responses to

situations accordingly.

Frame of reference and the script


• What is the relationship

between the script and

the frame of reference?

The answer is that the

script forms part of the

frame of reference.


• The frame of reference in

total is made up of a

large number of

definitions. Some of

these definitions will

entail discounts, while

others will not.


• The script consists of all

the definitions in the

frame of reference

which entails discounts.


• When I get into script, I

am ignoring the features

of the here and now

situation which would be

relevant to the solution

of a problem. I am

discounting.


• In doing so, I am

replaying outdated

definitions of myself,

others and the world

which include these

discounts.


• For instance, as a child I

may have received

messages from my

parents telling me I was

not able to think.


• Now suppose that as a

grown up, I am about to

take an examination. If I get

into script at this point, I

begin internally replaying

the old parental definition

of myself that says : “You

cant think”.


• Agreeing with this in my

child ego state, I accept

the discount of my own

thinking ability. I begin to

feel inadequate and

confused.

Nature and function of redefining


• When I distort my

perception of reality so

that it fits my script, this

process is called

redefining.


• In my child ego state as a

grown up, I may cling to

the early decisions

because I am still clinging

to the belief that they

are necessary for my

survival.


• Thus if some feature of

reality seems to

challenge my script

decisions, I am likely to

defend against it.


• Putting this idea into

Schiffian language, we

say: “ When my scripty

frame of reference is

threatened, I defend

against the threat by

redefining.”


• As a child, I accepted my

parent’s definition of me as

unable to think. I make this

script decision because I

believed it was the only

way I had of surviving and

getting my needs met.


• Now as I get into script

as a grown up, I re – run

this old survival strategy.

I redefine reality by

discounting my own

ability to think.


• This does not help me solve

the problem, which is to

pass the examination. But

outside my awareness, in my

child ego state, I am

following the motive that

see more important than

any examination could.


• That is : to defend

against the unspeakable

disaster I fear may

happen if I challenge my

parent’s decision.

Redefining Transactions


• When I redefine, I do so

internally. How will you

know from my outward

behavior whether or not

I am redefining?


• The only external clue is

that you will see or hear

me discounting. Thus the

signals of discounting are

the external manifestations

that redefining is taking

place internally.


Every discount represents a distortion of reality.


• Discounting done by an

individual can be

recognized from various

behavioral clues. These

same clues, then, also

tell you that the person

is redefining.


• We also know someone

is redefining if he shows

grandiosity or a thinking

disorder, which are

typical accompaniment

to discounting.


• There are two distinctive

transactions that give

clear verbal evidence of

redefining. They are the

tangential transactions

and the blocking

transactions.

Tangential Transactions


• A tangential transaction

is one in which the

stimulus and response

address different issues,

or address the same

issue from different

perspectives.


• For example, a therapist

asks a group member:

“How do you feel?”. She

replies: “ Well, when we

spoke about this in the

group yesterday, I felt

angry”.


• With her response, she

addresses the issue of

how she feels, but from

the perspective of

yesterday instead of

today.


• At a wage negotiation, a

union representative

asks: “ What do you want

from out side so we can

conclude this

agreement?”


• The personnel manager

answers: “ We are not at all

satisfied with the

conditions you have

proposed so fare”. Here,

the issue has been shifted

from wanting to feeling

satisfied with.


• Every day conversations

are full of tangential

transactions. When

people are in situations

they perceive as stressful,

they are even more likely

to redefine in this way.


• This is not surprising,

because in stressful

situations, people are

likely to begin perceiving

threats to their frame of

reference.


• The cover purpose of

going on a tangent is to

divert the other person

away from the issue

which constitutes the

threat.


• The person who initiates

the tangential

transactions will not be

consciously aware she is.

doing so.


• Often, the other person

will follow the tangent,

rather than sticking the

original topic. He may

even go off on a further

tangent of his own.


• When people get into a

exchange of tangential

transactions, they are

likely to have an

uncomfortable sense

that their conversation is

getting nowhere.


• When people get into a

exchange of tangential

transactions, they are likely

to have an uncomfortable

sense that their

conversation is getting

nowhere or going around in

circles.


• On the psychological

level, that is exactly what

is intended.

Conversations like these

can go on for a long time.


• The participants may feel

they have been working

hard, and end up feeling

drained. By the close of their

discussion, they may have

never gotten back to the

original issue they have

intended to address.

Blocking Transactions


• In a blocking transaction,

the purpose of raising an

issue is avoided by

disagreeing about the

definition of the issue.


• Example.

– Therapist : How do you

feel.

– Group member : Do you

mean emotionally or

physically?


• Example.

– Union Representative : What

do you want from our side so

we can conclude this

agreement?

– Personnel manager : Are you

talking about what we want

or what we think we can get?


• You will seldom hear long

exchange of blocking

transactions. It is more

likely that after the initial

block, the parties will begin

detailed arguments over

the definition of the issue.


• If one of the people

concerned is a really

determined blocker, the

conversation may come

to a halt in a

dumbfounded silence.


• At the psychological level,

the aim of the blocking

transaction is the same as

that of the tangential: to

avoid addressing issues that

would threaten the frame of

reference of either or both

participants.

Thank You

frame of reference and redefining - transactional analysis - manu melwin joy

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