Transactional Analysis : Time Structuring

Because TA is a model of interaction between people, with the individual units of interaction called transactions, TA also includes the examination of sets or groups of transactions conducted in time periods. How people interact and spend their time in pairs or groups is called Time Structuring. There are six ways people spend time together. As you read the following list, keep in mind that one of the purposes of transacting with another is the exchange of strokes. Each form of time structure has an associated intensity of stroke. Withdrawal is at the low end, intimacy is at the high end.

Withdrawal is when a person either physically or emotionally (or both) leaves and in so doing refuses to engage in any transactions. As such the only strokes they can exchange are with themselves. The person's Child may have decided that the risk of rejection by others outweighs the benefits of receiving strokes. Internally, the person may experience a lot of self talk, a day dream, or take a snooze. Regardless, his or her stroke economy will not benefit from the situation. It's sort of like trading money with yourself.

Rituals are highly structured, prescribed or pre-programmed sequences of transactions designed to produce predictable stroke exchanges. They reside in the Parent and are conducted by the Child (who follows the rules of the ritual). The Child perceives a higher risk of rejection than withdrawal, however the high probability of attaining the predicted outcome, positive strokes, makes the risk acceptable. Rituals include the various greetings we engage such as: "Hi, Hi", hand shaking, "How are you?", "How ya doin?", waving, and smiling. These simple acts are important sources of strokes. Sort of like exchanging five dollor bills with each other. So here's a simple mission possible for those times when you're feeling stroke deprived: every person you meet, engage in a greeting ritual.

Pastimes are sequences of transactions that are familiar and somewhat predictable to the participants but not as structured as rituals. Pastimes are always conversational with no action component, and often about times past. The light superficial conversation people engage in when meeting for the first time is usually pastiming. Talking about the weather, cars, sports, and the economy are typical male pastimes. Female pastimes include 'the children', diets, Oprah. Just think back to your last visit to the doctor's waiting room, what did people talk about? In terms of strokes, there is less predictability of a positive exchange; but either way the exchange will be more intense. Like exchanging ten dollar bills. Another reason for pastiming is to check each other out for future engagment in even more intense time structure behaviours. Pastimes can be conducted from either Parent or Child.

Activities are transactions directed at achieving a material goal. Talking may be involved but it is devoted to producing a result. An activity is 'active'. For example, playing a sport, fixing something, making a meal, a goal directed business meeting, or taking a hike are all activities. The Adult ego state is predominantly involved because the activity is a here & now event. In terms of strokes, usually the exchange is made at the close of the activity. Thus it is a time delayed exchange. What type of strokes that are exchanged is often dependent on a positive or negative assessment of goal achievment. Like an exchange of five, ten or twenty dollar bills depending on the perceived group value of the goal; or even fines levied in various amounts for negative performances.

Games are dealt with in detail in another lesson but the short version is this. Psychological games are the next level of stroke intensity. Games always have ulterior transactions, (so you may want to skip back to that lesson). You know you've been in a game when: the sequence ends with you feeling 'bad'; you've done the sequence before, perhaps many times, with the same outcome; and at some point in the sequence you feel like you or the other player(s) unexpectedly switched emotional states or roles. The exchange of negative strokes is often fast, deep, and painful. Sort of like getting hit with one or several $100 dollar fines, bang bang bang.

At the top of the stroke exchange time structure heirarchy is Intimacy. The transactions are simple and authentic as opposed to ulterior with Games. In a game, the players will put responsibility for their feelings on others; wheras in intimacy each person takes responsibility for their own feelings. The dictionary definition refers to close contact, association and familiarity but the TA term is technically restricted to the transactional dynamics. People can be 'intimate' during sex; yet from a TA perspective it could be a game, activity, or ritual and not intimacy at all depending on the type of transactions, authenticity, and intensity of emotional strokes.