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Article

Intimacy Analysis Today: The Intimacy Scale and the Personality Pinwheel

Pages 224-242
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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Intimacy theory may be called Eric Berne's “unfinished symphony.” In this centenary Transactional Analysis Journal theme issue, “Eric Berne: Then and Now,” a “Now” of intimacy analysis is presented to fill in the blanks in Eric Berne's intimacy theory from “Then.” New transactional analysis concepts and diagrams are used to demonstrate that creating mutual intimacy is a social skill that can be developed through Adult learning. In the Intimacy Scale, social intimacy is facilitated by the range of topics discussed. As seen through the Personality Pinwheel, social intimacy is facilitated by the number of ego states involved. The Intimacy Scale is a way of grading the intimacy by Content (closeness of topics discussed), and the Personality Pinwheel is used for increasing intimacy by Process (how to engage more ego states). The Personality Pinwheel counts the OK ego states involved in an intimate relationship and teaches methods for favorably engaging all of them.

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Stephen B. Karpman

Stephen B. Karpman, M.D., was a close colleague of Dr. Berne, attending his Tuesday-night seminars in San Francisco weekly for 6 years, and is one of the grandfather founding members of the ITAA. He is a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (psychotherapy), was twice ITAA vice president, and served 11 years on the board of trustees. He was the first ongoing editor of the Transactional Analysis Journal and has 30 transactional analysis publications. He was twice the winner of the 1972 (drama triangle) and 1979 (Options) Eric Berne Memorial Scientific Awards. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and also has a private practice in San Francisco. Dr. Karpman can be reached by e-mail at ; Web site: www.KarpmanDramaTriangle.com (where his articles are available).