SON: Mom, there's too much mustard on the ham. (A-A or C-P) MOTHER: Well, then it's OK with me if you want to scrape some off. (A-A or P-C) SON: How do you like my new tie? (A-A) MOTHER: I'd need a lot of courage to wear it myself, but I'm not you! (A-A or C-C) SON: Mom, your roast is delicious. It's great to have a mother who's a good cook! (A-A) MOTHER: Thanks, Joe. I guess now I've learned that you really hate soufflé! (A-A) {139} APPLICATIONS OF TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS TA has been used in individual and group therapy, in nonclinical settings to help business executives improve communication skills, and also in prisons. It has been used to treat a wide range of problems, including these: * personality trait problems: e.g., shy, lonely, depressed, overbearing, or hostile individuals * troubled relationships in couples and families * fears of withdrawal of affection and of abandonment * drug abuse * phobias * difficulties in relating to authority figures, such as a boss, a teacher, a parent * adaptation problems in individuals with counterculture attitudes and values Few controlled evaluative studies have been done to determine how effective TA really is. At this time, and in this author's judgment, TA is most useful as an _educational therapy_ to assist less severely troubled individuals with communication problems by helping them sharpen their perceptions of their own ego states and the ego states of others. TA is most effective for clients who are able to exercise responsibility for themselves. TA appears to be especially useful in helping individuals who are caught in frustrating relationships to break free from self-destructive patterns or games. COGNITIVE THERAPY: RATIONAL-EMOTIVE THERAPY _For people who tend to think and judge in very rigid ways, who are frequently intense and uptight, and who tend to magnify and exaggerate evils._ Man is not disturbed by events, but by the view he takes of them. Epictetus, _Enchiridion_ {140} "It is absolutely essential to you to be loved by members of your family and to be appreciated by your friends and employer." "You must be consistently competent and nearly perfect in all your endeavors." "Some people are really bad, their actions should be restricted, and they should be punished when they do wrong." "It is terrible when things are not the way you would like them to be." "Events outside your control are largely responsible for how you feel." "You should be anxious in relation to what is uncertain, unknown, or potentially dangerous." "It is much easier to avoid problems than to face life's difficulties and responsibilities." "It is necessary to have something greater or stronger than yourself to rely on." "The present is largely determined by past events." "Happiness comes when one has complete leisure." "If you don't work hard to please others, they will abandon you."