Gratitude in Terms of Transactional Analysis
Gratitude in Terms of Transactional Analysis

Summary/Abstract: Gratitude is one of the rarest researched aspects of human interaction. Partially because in scientific reflection gratitude and gift-giving are generally treated as a sign of corruption. Research held in Polish public hospitals on the topic of gift-giving to medical staff shows that patients very precisely differentiate bribes from gifts as a token of gratitude. In TA it is very difficult to find any reflection about gratitude, however, Erskine admits that the need of showing gratitude appears to be one of the most significant relational needs he noticed. Gratitude is not easy to analyse in TA terms because it is both an emotional and a cultural attitude. As an emotion, it is a kind of joy, one of the four authentic emotions according to Eric Berne. As a cultural response it activated equally three Ego States: Parent, Adult, and Child. What is more – a need for showing gratitude in a form of benevolent action toward the person someone feels gratitude for and this is an occasion to take a step towards intimacy.

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