Transactional Analysis Interpersonal Theory

Harry Stack Sullivan's Education and Career

• Harry Stack Sullivan earned a medical degree (M.D.) in 1917.
• Sullivan's early life social isolation influenced his interest in psychiatry.
• He worked at Sheppard Pratt Hospital treating schizophrenic patients with experimental treatments.

Sullivan's Interpersonal Theory

• The highest form of cognition according to Sullivan's Interpersonal Theory is syntaxic thought.
• Syntaxic thought involves understanding the abstract concepts of the world and how these concepts relate to each other.
• This is the most complex and abstract type of thought.

Sullivan's Personality Dynamics

• Parataxic thought is a mode of thought characterized by attributing causality to coincidental events.
• This occurs when an individual makes connections between events that are not logically related.
• Anxiety can be caused by real threats, as well as by imaginary threats perceived by the individual.
• The two primary sources of tension in Sullivan's dynamic of personality are need and anxiety.
• Need is the tension arising from a lack of something essential.
• Needs motivate individuals to seek satisfaction through interpersonal relationships.
• Anxiety is the tension arising from fear of rejection or disapproval.
• Anxiety can be learned from the experiences with significant others.

Sullivan's Stages of Development

• The infancy stage (birth to 18 months) is when an infant develops trust and anxiety through relationships with parents or guardians.
• The childhood stage (18 months to 6 years) is when a child begins to develop a sense of self and learns to communicate through language.
• The juvenile era (6 to 9 years) is characterized by the development of peer relationships, especially with same-sex peers.
• Preadolescence (9 to 13 years) is a period of intense intimacy and loyalty within a single best friend relationship.
• In early adolescence (13 to 17 years), individuals experience intense emotional turmoil, struggles with identity, and develop romantic relationships.
• The late adolescence stage (17 to adulthood) is characterized by the development of adult relationships, including romantic partnerships, friendships, and work relationships.

Sullivan's Stages of Development: Age Ranges

• Infancy: Birth to 18 months
• Childhood: 18 months to 6 years
• Juvenile Era: 6 to 9 years
• Preadolescence: 9 to 13 years
• Early Adolescence: 13 to 17 years
• Late Adolescence: 17 to Adulthood

Sullivan's Stages of Development: Key Concepts

• Social relationships become more important during the preadolescent stage, not less important.
• The juvenile era is followed by the preadolescence stage.
• Sullivan believed all stages of development were important for understanding the development of personality.
• He posited that the interpersonal relationships formed during these stages have a lasting impact on the individual's sense of self.