The book "What People Play"

"Look what you've made me do!", "Yes, but...", "I'm only trying to help!". - Sound familiar?

Eric Berne, the founder of Transactional Analysis, showed over sixty years ago that many of our everyday conversations are unconscious 'psychological games' that we repeat according to a set script. Although decades have passed since it was first published, the book remains relevant - helping us to better understand ourselves and others, to get out of relational traps and to build more authentic relationships. This edition is enriched with a foreword by Professor Bogdan de Barbaro and comments by Joanna Skowronska, which make the key concepts easier to understand.

Table of contents:

Foreword IX
Introduction XI
1. social relations XI
2. Structuring time XIV
Sixty years have passed... Bogdan de Barbaro XXI
Part one. Analysis of the games
Chapter 1 Structural analysis 3
Chapter 2 Transactional analysis 10
Chapter 3 Procedures and rituals 18
Chapter 4 Entertainment 25
Chapter 5 Games 33
1. definition 33
2 Game example 35
3 The genesis of the games 45
4 Games function 47
5. classification of games 50
Part two. The treasury of games
Introduction 55
1 Notation 55
2. colloquial expressions 57
Chapter 6 Life games 59
1. alcoholic 59
2 Debtor 68
3. kick me 72
4 Now I've got you, you son of a bitch 73
5. look what you made me do 77
VI
Chapter 7 Marital games 82
1. goat corner 82
2 Court 87
3. frigid woman 90
4. anguished 94
5. if it weren't for you 98
6. look how hard I tried 99
7 Loving 103
Chapter 8 Games at parties 105
1. but it's awful 105
2. defect 108
3. Wit (Schlemiel) 110
4. why don't you - yes, but 113
Chapter 9 Sexual games 122
1. fight with each other 122
2 Perversion 123
3. rape 125
4. stocking game 130
5 Advance 131
Chapter 10 The games of the underworld 134
1 Police officers and złoday 134
2. how to get out of here 140
3. let's cut the number of Józek 142
Chapter 11 Therapeutic games 144
1. warming house 144
2. I'm just trying to help you 146
3. poverty 152
4th Villager 156
5 Psychiatry 160
6. stupid 164
7. wooden leg 167
Chapter 12 Constructive games 171
1. Busy holidays 171
2. gallant 172
3. philanthropist 175
4. local sage 176
5. you will still be proud to know me 177
Part Three. On the sidelines of the games
Chapter 13: The importance of games 181
Chapter 14 Players 183
Chapter 15 Paradigm 185
Chapter 16 Autonomy 189
Chapter 17 Achieving autonomy 194
Chapter 18 Games and what next? 196
Appendix. Classification of behaviour 197
Footnotes 201
About the Author 209

Authors: Erice Berne

Print: 2024

Edition: edition VI, 2024

Publisher: Scientific Publishers PWN

Type of cover: hardback

Size: 148 x 210 mm

Number of pages: 240

ISBN: 978-83-01-23614-4

Printed ISBN: 978-83-01-23509-3