TAJ October 2008 Abstracts

This article presents some theoretical reflections on transactional analysis certification processes and exams. Exams are considered as both an evaluation process and a learning experience. The author discusses the relationship between evaluation and power and stresses the value of a clear distinction between the two. During certification exams, there is a clear difference in power: examiners can pass or defer candidates. There is no reciprocity, although reciprocity does exist in the overall process because each participant (examiner, candidate, sponsor, etc.) explicitly accepts being evaluated by others. The main concepts discussed are: exams are learning experiences for everyone who participates in them; to promote a good learning experience, all individuals must accept reciprocity in evaluation; and it is possible to promote and maintain reciprocity in evaluation even with awareness that power is unequal. The main goals of certification exams are considered from the perspective of the evaluation of candidates, examiners, and the training system. Three examples of dysfunctional exam boards are described.

“In the Manner of”: Transactional Analysis Teaching of Transactional Analysts
Keith Tudor
pp. 276-292

This article explores transactional analysis (TA) teaching—that is, teaching "in the manner of TA"—and distinguishes it from teaching TA from a generic educational perspective, an activity that may or may not be analyzed in transactional analysis terms. The author applies transactional analysis philosophy, practice, and theory to the teaching and training of transactional analysts and, in doing so, reviews the literature on TA teaching, as distinct from teaching TA. Drawing on literature about education and learning, as well as about teaching and training, the article makes the point that all transactional analysis trainers are, in effect, in the educational field of application. Therefore, those trainers in the clinical (psychotherapy and counseling) and organizational fields could—and perhaps should—draw more on the experience and expertise of colleagues in the educational field. This, together with a previous, parallel article on transactional analysis supervision (Tudor, 2002), forms essential reading for practitioners teaching and supervising TA as well as those preparing for the Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analysis examination.

Transactional Analysis Training, Postmodernism, and Education
Pete Shotton
pp. 293-297

This article examines transactional analysis training with reference to ideas and thinking about postmodernism. It looks at the place that transactional analysis training occupies within adult education and lifelong learning in the context of global socioeconomic and cultural change and offers suggestions for change and development of training> and assessment.

Teaching, Learning, Schooling, and Script
Giles Barrow
pp. 298-304

This article considers several themes connected to the educational experience and builds on the keynote presentation made by the author at the 2007 transactional analysis conference in San Francisco. The article asserts that schooling is a universal experience that warrants consideration when reflecting on script formation. Furthermore, the process of schooling is fundamental in creating an individual’s frame of reference regarding learning. The implications of this “learning script” are considered in relation to transactional analysis training.

The Comparative Script System: A Tool for Developing Supervisors
Charlotte Sills and Marco Mazzetti
pp. 305-314

The aim of this article is to offer to transactional analysts a simple theoretical and practical tool to support relational supervision. The authors propose the comparative script system as a useful aid to the training of supervisors, with particular reference to three areas: a framework for focusing on the key issues in supervision; a practical instrument for understanding and visually representing transference-countertransference dynamics; and a clarification of the boundary between supervision and therapy. While the focus is on its use in psychotherapy, the model can be used in all fields.

The Role of Assessment and Evaluation in Training Human Relations Professionals
Susanna Ligabue
pp. 315-319

This article considers the role and nature of evaluation in training human relations professionals and some core elements of the assessment process, defined here as an intersubjective, contractual, and negotiated process aimed at promoting growth. The author also considers ethics in relation to evaluation processes and the role trust plays in protecting the relational bond.

Pioneering the Development of Transactional Analysis and TA Training in a New Area of the World
Vladimir Goussakovski
pp. 320-325

This article reflects on the experience of establishing transactional analysis training in countries where it has not been developed before, including the prerequisites for such training. A typical history of starting transactional analysis training in a new area is offered, and some principles and frequent challenges are described as a reminder for visiting trainers. Questions are raised about how the expansion of transactional analysis affects its philosophy and theory as well as TA training and certification processes.

India as a Unique Context for Developing Transactional Analysts.
P.K. Saru, Annie Cariapa, and Sailaja Manacha with Rosemary Napper
pp. 326-332

This article describes the authors’ experiences as transactional analysis trainers and learners in the unique context created by India’s social, cultural, religious, linguistic, and ethnic diversity and how this context impacts the multiple roles of trainers and learners.

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