Games People Play

Narrator David Colacci works miracles in bringing this 1964 psychological primer to life. Eric Berne's classic says that to get payoffs, or "strokes," we adopt the role of Child (helpless, victimized, demanding), Parent (judgmental, directive), or Adult (goal directed, adaptable, responsible). The articulation of the "transactions" between these roles and their motivations were breakthrough insights in the 1960s, when academics and mental health professionals were eagerly fitting every facet of the human condition into tidy descriptions. But in today's culture--emotionally enlightened and suspicious of intellectualization--Berne's ideas sound dated, fussy, and mechanical. It is only Colacci's warmth and fresh approach to this reissued work that make it possible to appreciate its historical value and glean some guidance from the busyness of these formulations. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine