Games People Play (book)

Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships is a 1964 book by

Background

The author Eric Berne was a psychiatrist specializing in psychotherapy who began developing alternate theories of interpersonal relationship dynamics in the 1950s. He sought to explain recurring patterns of interpersonal conflicts that he observed, which eventually became the basis of transactional analysis.^[1] After being rejected by a local psychoanalytic institute, he focused on writing about his own theories. In 1961, he published Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy.^[2] That book was followed by Games People Play, in 1964. Berne did not intend for Games People Play to explore all aspects of transactional analysis, viewing it instead as an introduction to some of the concepts and patterns he identified.^[1] He borrowed money from friends and used his own savings to publish the book.^[3]

Summary

In the first half of the book, Berne introduces his theory of transactional analysis as a way of interpreting social interactions. He proposes that individuals encompass three roles or ego states, known as the Parent, the Adult, and the Child, which they switch between. He postulates that while Adult to Adult interactions are largely healthy, dysfunctional interactions can arise when people take on mismatched roles such as Parent and Child or Child and Adult.

The second half of the book catalogues a series of "mind games" identified by Berne, in which people interact through a patterned and predictable series of "transactions" based on these mismatched roles. He states that although these interactions may seem plausible, they are actually a way to conceal hidden motivations under scripted interactions with a predefined outcome. The book uses casual, often humorous phrases such as "See What You Made Me Do," "Why Don't You — Yes But," and "Ain't It Awful" as a way of briefly describing each game. Berne describes the "winner" of these mind games as the person that returns to the Adult ego-state first.

Reception and influence

Commercial performance

The book was a commercial success, and reached fifth place on

The book was republished as an audiobook in 2012.^[6]

Critical reception

Despite its popularity among lay readership, Berne's model of interpersonal relationships received criticism from academics. A 1974 article by Roger W. Hite in

• I'm OK – You're OK

References