The inevitability of uncertainty, the necessity of doubt, and the development of trust

This chapter, revised here, was originally presented as a keynote speech at the World TA Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, the theme of which was “Trust and Uncertainty in the 21^st Century.” Drawing on Berne’s vision of transactional analysis as a social psychiatry, I first describe the idealism that fueled the creation of transactional analysis. I then examine the darker, more conflictual, often hateful aspects of life in and among groups and argue for group leadership that provides a vital base that can embrace conflict and facilitate shifts in frames of reference.