ABSTRACT
Therapists of many theoretical orientations focus on the relational, transferential, and countertransferential components of the therapeutic process. This chapter examines applications within transactional analysis of theories that emphasize empathy, attunement, and attachment as the primary tools in the therapeutic repertoire. It suggests that such an orientation can lead to enacting a subtle form of reparenting, which represents a considerable deviation from Berne’s emphasis on personal responsibility, intrapsychic conflict, interpersonal manipulation, and the construction of one’s life script. The chapter suggests that the overuse of relational concepts in contemporary transactional analysis can result in an oversimplification of the therapeutic process, an overemphasis on the activity of the therapist, and a turning away from intrapsychic and interpersonal conflicts as crucial elements of psychotherapy. It also suggests that it is the therapist’s and client’s mutual curiosity and exploration of an individual’s experience that is ultimately curative rather than the alleviation of the psychic pain that developed because of these experiences.
