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Article

Eric Berne, “The ‘Woman’ Question,” and Its Evolution in the TA World

Pages 217-223
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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Many times Eric Berne posed but never answered Freud's question, “What do women want?”—nor did he actually ask it of the women in his professional seminar. Had he lived, where would he be today on this subject? Would he be able to answer it, and if so, how? To answer this question now, Eric would be able to draw on the work of feminist scholars that was only beginning to emerge at the time of his death. Drawing on that scholarship, this article fleshes out a possible route he might have taken to arrive at some answers and suggests what some of his answers might be. The author also details the experiences and difficulties she and other women faced in the 1960s as the international transactional analysis movement grew in its earliest days.

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Author information

Pam Levin

Pamela Levin has been a member of ITAA since 1966, when she met and studied with Eric Berne. The first nurse, the first woman, and the first person to earn Clinical Membership and Teaching Membership, she is past president of the Eric Berne Seminars of San Francisco, served on the ITAA Board of Trustees, cofounded the ITAA's Women's Caucus, is past editor of The Script, and received the Eric Berne Memorial Award for her work on the cycle of development. She is currently editor of The Script column, “After He Said Hello.” She is author of numerous books, articles, and a DVD on transactional analysis, culture, and emotional development. For 40 years she has maintained a private TA practice offering physical and emotional health improvement services. She offers a number of online TA services and training opportunities. Pam can be reached at 224 N. Oak #1429, Ukiah, CA U.S.A., e-mail: .