NCJ Number
78104
Date Published
1981
Length
198 pages
Annotation
Written for law enforcement officers, this book explains how to use transactional analysis (TA), an approach to understanding and improving interpersonal relationships and communications, in police work.
Abstract
The book is intended to help police personnel discover positive and negative attitudes about themselves and others, achieve understanding of themselves and others to enhance self-control needed in stressful situations, and understand the importance of giving and receiving positive recognition. Additional goals are to help police improve communication on the job, develop more effective ways of interaction, and prevent minor disagreements from becoming crises. The author begins by explaining the nature and characteristics of the three ego states -- Parent, Adult, and Child -- that form the basis for TA. Subsequent sections show how transactions between two individuals' ego states occur and how to identify and analyze the ego states present. Stroking, which is a special form of communication used to offer support to another person, is detailed with respect to the types of strokes, the use of positive and negative stroking, and the basic life positions or perspectives. A subsequent section discusses methods of TA in policing and their appropriateness to specific situations, such as arrest and apprehension, crisis, disputes, and demonstrations. Additional chapters describe how to manipulate (hook) others, how to avoid being hooked by someone else into a given ego state, and the playing of psychological games. Numerous situational examples, transactional diagrams, and drawings are provided throughout the text. An index is also supplied.