Berne, Eric

Name

Eric Berne (1910–1970)

Introduction

Eric Berne is known in the field of psychotherapy for his theory of Transactional Analysis (TA) and his prolific writings, authoring eight books and over 50 publications. Berne’s work, analyzing social transactions and disrupting predictable patterns between individuals, has extended out to group work, families, and couples.

Education/Career

Canadian born, Eric Berne attended McGrill University in 1935 where he earned his degrees, Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery. Berne then moved to the United States, where he later became a citizen. He did his psychiatric residency at Yale University School of Medicine and later a psychiatric post in New York City at Mt. Zion Hospital. In 1941, Berne attended the New York Psychoanalytic Institute where he began training as a psychoanalyst; he worked with Paul Federn, whose ideas were highly influential and shaped Berne’s personality theory (Stewart 1992).

Eric Berne joined the US Army Medical Corps in...