Konjekturales Denken

Parent - Ego Structure I

I Just Washed Those Jeans Yesterday!

You stop by your supervisor's office to let them know the copier is broken again. With spit flying and veins bursting in the neck, your boss bellows in frustration, "We just had that copier fixed yesterday!" The next thing you know, the paramedics are waking you up, and your boss peers over you saying, "What happened to you Johnson?

One moment you break the copier, and the next moment you pass out".

The last thing you remember was having a dream about walking in your house as a three year-old after a good romp in the yard, and then spit flying and veins bursting as your mother bellowed, "I just washed those jeans yesterday!" What did you learn about jeans and life and dirt and bosses from that unforgettable encounter?

Along with the unsavory fate of dirty jeans, you probably learned something about attitudes, values, and the "do's and don'ts" of life, at least according to your mom and dad and other significant peers.

According to Transactional Analysis, your mother spoke about the dirty jeans from the Critical Parent Ego state. The Critical Parent Ego structure is by definition fraught with critical, judgmental and prejudicial attitudes and opinions.

The language and vocabulary of the Critical Parent Ego structure is marked by maxims like, "never forget to always do your best", "always think of others before yourself", "don't ever be caught cheating or lying", or "under no circumstances should you ever give money to stranger".

When you hear the words and language of "don't", "always", "never forget", or "how to" in your head, you know you are playing back the messages recorded in your mind at a formative age from your parents and other adults.     

(continued)

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