Scripts People Live by Claude Steiner

From the jacket text:

"You can Change the Story of Your Life

When Claude Steiner and the late Eric Berne developed the theory of Transactional Analysis, their basic belief that people were "born princes and princesses, until their parents turned them into frogs" countered the fundamental principle of psychiatry which asserts that emotional and mental distress comes from within.

In Scripts People Live, Steiner expands upon this belief to show that people are innately healthy but develop a pattern, or "life script", early in life based on the negative or positive influences of those around them. Thus children decide, however unconsciously, whether they will be happy or depressed, winners or failures, strong or dependent, and having decided, they spend the rest of their lives making the decision come true. For those who choose a negative script, the consequences can be disastrous unless a remarkable event intervenes, provoking a conscious decision to change.

Steiner's classic in psychological theory, with a new foreword by the author, offers a helpful and practical analysis so that we all may rewrite our life scripts and lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives."

Review

Okay, that might be some hard stuff to digest but it's worth it. If you want to get a better understanding of how people are “ticking” thats a good way to start. A Big Plus, you don't need a psychology master to understand the book. Everything is well described and understandable. But be warned, if you start analyzing yourself you might discover things you don't like.

Nevertheless if you have to communicate with people quite frequently and get some practice with the stuff from the book you might have the ability to improve some misguided communications.

For software developers speaking German, I can recommend another book which also uses transactional analysis for understanding and improving communication “Soft Skills für Software-Entwickler”.