Freedom and Responsibility: Social Empowerment and the Altruistic Model of Ego States

Abstract

This article underscores the altruistic content of Parent, Adult, and Child ego states. It extrapolates from Berne's (1957/1977a) cowpoke story to show how the little boy who responsibly helped the cowboy now helps his therapist to discover a path to update historical ego states and bring them the freedom of OKness. This freedom is not only individual but is altruistically oriented to experience the “other” as OK. Berne's (1972) three-handed position of “I'm, OK, You're OK, They're OK” envelops both individual and social freedoms. It spans both individual wholeness and mutual responsibility between individuals and between groups. The Cultural Parent (Drego 1983) of a group can help or hinder freedom, justice, equity, and love among its members. Perceptions of OKness of the “other” affect the perception of rights and responsibilities in interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup relationships. The lawyer's (i.e., the little boy's) journey to freedom through the relationship Berne developed with him gave transactional analysis psychotherapists technologies for healing the Child ego state and responsibilities for healing the wounded histories of social groups.

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