Editing Transactional analysis (section)

==Ego-state or Parent–Adult–Child (PAC) models==
{{See also|I'm OK – You're OK#Parent, Adult, Child (P-A-C) model}}
Many of the core TA models and concepts can be categorised into
* Structural analysis – analysis of the individual psyche
* Transactional analysis proper – analysis of interpersonal transactions based on structural analysis of the individuals involved in the transaction
* Game analysis – repeating sequences of transactions that lead to a result subconsciously agreed to by the parties involved in the game
* [[Script analysis]] – a life plan that may involve long-term involvement in particular games in order to reach the life pay-off of the individual

At any given time, a person experiences and manifests his or her personality through a mixture of behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. Typically, according to TA, there are three ego states that people consistently use:

* ''Parent'' ("exteropsyche"): a state in which people behave, feel, and think in response to an unconscious mimicking of how their parents (or other parental figures) acted, or how they interpreted their parent's actions. For example, a person may shout at someone out of frustration because they learned from an influential figure in childhood the lesson that this seemed to be a way of relating that worked.
* ''Adult'' ("neopsyche"): a state of the ego which is most like an artificially intelligent system processing information and making predictions about major emotions that could affect its operation. Learning to strengthen the Adult is a goal of TA. While people are in the Adult ego state, they are directed towards an objective appraisal of reality.
* ''Child'' ("archaeopsyche"): a state in which people behave, feel, and think similarly to how they did in childhood. For example, a person who receives a poor evaluation at work may respond by looking at the floor and crying or pouting, as when scolded as a child. Conversely, a person who receives a good evaluation may respond with a broad smile and a joyful gesture of thanks. The Child is the source of emotions, creation, recreation, spontaneity, and intimacy.

Berne differentiated his Parent, Adult, and Child ego states from actual adults, parents, and children, by using [[capital letter]]s when describing them. These ego states may or may not represent the relationships that they act out. For example, in the workplace, an adult supervisor may take on the Parent role, and scold an adult employee as though he were a Child. Or a child, using the Parent ego state, could scold her actual parent as though the parent were a Child.

Within each of these ego states are subdivisions. Thus Parental figures are often either

* more ''nurturing'' (permission-giving, security-giving) or
* more ''criticising'' (comparing to family traditions and ideals in generally negative ways);

Childhood behaviours are either 

* more ''natural'' (''free'') or 
* more ''adapted'' to others. 

These subdivisions categorize individuals' patterns of behaviour, feelings, and ways of thinking, which can be functional (beneficial or ''positive'') or dysfunctional/counterproductive (''negative'').

Berne states that there are four types of diagnosis of ego states. They are: "behavioural" diagnosis, "social" diagnosis, "historical" diagnosis, and "phenomenological" diagnosis. A complete diagnosis would include all four types. It has subsequently been demonstrated that there is a fifth type of diagnosis, namely "contextual", because the same behaviour will be diagnosed differently according to the context of the behaviour.<ref>Tony White:{{cite web|url=http://admin99.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/contextual-diagnosis-of-ego-states.pdf |author=Tony White|title=The contextual diagnosis of ego states|website=wordpress.com}}</ref>

Ego states do not correspond directly to [[Sigmund Freud]]'s [[ego, superego, and id]], although there are obvious parallels: Superego/Parent; Ego/Adult; Id/Child. Ego states are consistent for each person, and (argue TA practitioners) are more observable than the components of Freud's model. In other words, the ego state from which someone is communicating is evident in their behavior, manner and expression.