Transactional Analysis and Discounts ... an important tool in TA therapy
Discounts are an internal mechanism by which people minimise or maximise an aspect of reality, themselves or others.
In other words they are not accounting for the reality of themselves or others or the situation.
The king and his friends were discounting when in reality “The King really was in the altogether!"
Discounting involves thinking which is inconsistent or distorts reality.
In structural terms the ego states involved will be either Parent or Child
NB: Disturbed / psychotic people are discounting more severely... over 80% of transactions being discounted may well mean that the person involved is psychotic.
MANIFESTATIONS OF DISCOUNTING
As discounts are an internal process, they can only be ‘seen' as it were by their external manifestations.
These are:
- Ulterior transactions.
- Redefining transactions in which the reply is not a response to the stimulus, eg: What time is it?.. It is snowing!
- Behaviour in a position within the Drama Triangle.
- Passive behaviours: passive in the sense that they will never
solve the problem!
- Doing nothing
- Over adaptation
- Agitation.
- Violence: towards self or others.
Whereas strokes are essential to life, discounts are life destructive. Games and Rackets start with and are maintained by discounts, therefore if you stop the discount, you stop the Game or the Racket.
LEVELS OF DISCOUNTING
1) The EXISTENCE of a problem, e.g. a baby cries and the parents go to sleep.
2) The SIGNIFICANCE or a problem “Oh the baby always cries at this time”.
3) The CHANGE POSSIBILITIES “The baby will never be satisfied”.
4) The PERSONAL ABILITY to actually carry out the change “You could but I can't change the nappy”.
At each level the discount can be of three types:
1) The STIMULUS can be discounted.
2) The PROBLEM can be discounted.
3) The OPTIONS can be discounted.
Using the levels and types of discount the Discount Matrix was developed. by Mellor and Schiff... TAJ July 1975.
This is useful for diagnosing where the person is stuck and also can be used to help in problem solving.
You start at the top left hand corner: The existance of a stimulus.... and ask is there a stimulus? >>>
- Yes there is a baby crying.
- Does that mean there is a problem?
- Does that mean the stimulus is significant?
- Yes>
- Are there any options?
- Is the problem significant? Is it possible to change the stimulus?
- Yes>
- Can you react differently?
- is it possible to change the problem?
- Are the options significant?
- Yes>
- Can you solve the problem?
- Are the options viable?
- Yes>
- Will you act to solve the problem?
- Yes> there is no discount....
Wherever the answer is no...That is the area in which the discount is occurring, and that area needs addressing in therapy.
Clearly the earlier the no occurs the more serious the discount... if they don't even here the baby crying then there is a very serious denial of reality!
Notes by Dave Spenceley Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst
Yorkshire Training Centre