This article explores Eric Berne's underdeveloped ideas of physis and aspiration, in which he began to articulate innate psychological forces in human nature that motivate people toward maximum health, self-expression, and autonomy. It is suggested that the underdevelopment of these ideas in Berne's thinking is related to his pessimistic assessment of peoples' willingness to be truly autonomous, that is, that the pressures of script outweigh the desire to pursue one's own nature. The author elaborates Berne's ideas, links them to research in resiliency and intrinsic motivation, and offers suggestions as to the applications of these ideas within the diverse fields in which transactional analysis is used.
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