ABSTRACT
Social-cognitive Transactional Analysis (SCTA) approach has been developed in Italy over forty years of research and theoretical reflections on a social and cognitive model of Transactional Analysis (TA). Theory and practice should influence each other as the latest trend in research on psychotherapy indicates. Confirming Transactional Analysis theory with scientific evidence and enhancing the effectiveness of clinical practice would give a sound basis to TA that could open up new areas of work and keep a constant dialogue with the main theoretical developments and research based on approaches similar to it. The effort of Scilligo and collaborators has also been to offer a theory of personality and a psychotherapy model that could preserve the main concepts of Transactional Analysis and its basic philosophy while accounting for the complexity of human behaviour and development. The capacity to reach for pleasurable situations and avoid painful situations is an initial given and represents an important way to self-regulate affects.
