ABSTRACT
Transactional Analysis originated as a group therapy, and Eric Berne’s first and most relevant considerations about the contract are in Principles of Group Treatment, published in 1966. A transactional analysis group is a contractual group in which both the therapist and the patients “start off, with the unprejudiced attitude of a man from Mars, and try to evolve out of the actual realities of the situation a contract which is acceptable to both sides”. Since the therapeutic contract is usually a long-term one, there need be no hurry in setting it up, and ample time can be taken to explore its possibilities both in individual interviews and in the group; then on some auspicious occasion its terms can be agreed upon. As therapy proceeds, the contractual approach consists in describing the process to the patient. The therapist will always be on the lookout for the determinants underlying the symptoms or responses.
