stroking profile - transactional analysis
DESCRIPTION
The “stroking profile” concept was introduced for the first time by Jim McKenna in the Transactional Analysis Journal (October 1974). It analyzes stroking patterns by use of bar charts.TRANSCRIPT
Stroking Profile
Prepared By Manu Melwin JoyResearch Scholar
School of Management StudiesCUSAT, Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114
Mail – [email protected]
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Stroking Profile
• The “stroking profile” concept was
introduced for the first time by Jim
McKenna in the Transactional
Analysis Journal (October 1974).
• It analyzes stroking patterns in
rather the same way as Dusay’s ego
gram analyzes the use of functional
ego states, by use of bar charts.
Why it is useful?
• Most of us carry around a series of
repetitive unconscious patterns that we
use quite often.
• Since strokes are fundamentally
involved (directly or indirectly) in
everything we do, it can be of great help
to become aware of our stroking profile
and think about what (if anything) we’d
like to change about it and in what
direction.
Why it is useful?
• Maybe some people complete the table
and realize that they have difficulties in
giving strokes, yet they feel the
desire to stroke other people often and
to be more in contact with those
around.
• By becoming aware of this, they can
make a small conscious effort to
gradually offer more strokes, thus being
more in contact.
Why it is useful?• Some people might not understand why
they receive so many negative strokes and
realize that they’ve been constantly asking
for them on an unconscious level.
• That may be because this kind of strokes
are familiar to them and they know how to
react, whereas receiving positive strokes
makes them feel extremely uncomfortable.
• It could also be for a number of other
reasons.
Stroking Profile
• To make out a stroking profile,
you begin with a blank diagram
given in the previous slide.
• You draw bars in each of the four
columns to represent your
intuitive estimate of how
frequently you : give strokes, take
them when they are offered, ask
for strokes and refuse to give
strokes.
Stroking Profile
• You make separate estimates
under each heading for
positive and negative strokes.
• The frequency for positives is
shown by drawing a bar
upward from the central axis of
the diagram.
• For negatives, draw bar
downwards.
Stroking Profile
• This diagram shows one possible example of a completed stroking profile.
• This person doesn’t give many positive strokes but is liberal with negatives.
• She is keen to take positive strokes from others and often ask for them.
Reference : Transactional Analysis Journal, October 1974, Jim McKenna
Example
• She perceives herself as seldom taking or asking for negatives.
• Frequently, she refuses to give positive strokes that other people expect, but she is not so ready to refuse giving negatives.
• How would you feel about relating to the person who drew this stroking profile.
Example
• Jim McKenna suggests that the
negative and positive scales under
each heading show an inverse
relationship.
• For instance, if a person is low in
taking positive strokes, he will
likely be high is taking negatives.
• Discover any pattern in your stroke
profile.
• Try to increase the bar you want
more.
Inverse Relationship
• Discover if there is anything about your stroking profile that you want to change.
• If so, the way to proceed is to increase the bars you want more of.
• This, says McKenna, is more likely to work than aiming to reduce the bars you think you have too much of.
• In Child, you are likely to be unwilling to give up old stroking patterns until you have something better to replace them.
Activity
Activity• Draw you own stroking profile. • Work rapidly and intuitively. • Under asking for strokes, in the
negative column, include times when you set up in some indirect way to get attention from others and was painful or uncomfortable for you.
• In the negative column under refuse to give, include occasions when you refused to give others negatives which they were setting up indirectly to get from you.
Home work• Write down five behavior designed
to increase any bar you want more of.
• Carry out these behavior in the coming month.
• For instance, if you decide you want to give more positive strokes to others, you might note down one compliment you could genuinely give to each of five of your friends, but have never given.
• Go ahead and give those compliments during the month.
Food for thought
Is McKenna right in
suggesting that as you
increase the bar you
want more of, the bar
you want less of in the
same column decreases
automatically?
Implications
• In a way, needing strokes is the same
with needing people to acknowledge
that we exist.
• From this point of view, the
philosophical question about the tree
falling in the forest with nobody around
to hear the noise fits well.
• If nobody hears the noise, did it really
ever exist?
• If a person is not being stroked, is that
person’s existence real?
Thank You
Other TA topics available on slideshare1. Strokes - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/strokes-24081607.
2. Games People Play - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/psychological-games-people-play.
3. Structural Analysis - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/the-ego-state-model.4. What is TA? - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/what-ta-is5. Cycles of Development -
http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/cycles-of-developement-pamela-levin-transactional-analysis.
6. Stages of Cure - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/stages-of-cure.7. Transactions - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/transactions-33677298.8. Time Structuring - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/time-structuring.9. Life Position - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/life-position.10. Autonomy - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/autonomy-33690557. 11. Structural Pathology - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/structural-pathology.12. Game Analysis - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/game-analysis-33725636.13. Integrated Adult - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/integrated-adult.14. Stroke Economy - http://www.slideshare.net/manumjoy/stroke-economy-33826702.