Berne,Phobia,Episcripts,and Racketeering

Abstract

This article is an extension of an Eric Berne Award winner keynote speech given at the Major International Transactional Analysis Conference (MITAC) in August 1995. The author reminisces about her contacts with Berne and how he cured her of a writing phobia. She also discusses “hot potatoes” and episcripts, topics that she believes still warrant much attention and clinical research. She describes her work on rackets and racketeering transactions, which challenges classic game theory assumptions. Finally, she discusses how codependent personal relationships and those within cults are based on racketeering between Oversure and Undersure character types (described in previous articles) and how lethal consequences can ensue.

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