I'm OK--You're OK

Thomas Harris

Aug 2011 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

The Classic Bestseller that has Changed the Lives of Millions

"Extraordinary. Harris has helped millions find the freedom to change, liberate their adult effectiveness, and achieve joyful intimacy with others." —Los Angeles Times

Transactional analysis delineates three ego-states (Parent, Adult and Child) as the basis for the content and quality of interpersonal communication. “Happy childhood” notwithstanding, says Harris, most of us are living out the not OK feelings of a defenseless child wholly dependent on others (parents) for stroking and caring. At some stage early in our lives we adopt a “position” about ourselves and others that determines how we feel about everything we do. And for a huge portion of the population, that position is "I’m Not OK-You’re OK." This negative "life position," shared by successful and unsuccessful people alike, contaminates our rational adult capabilities, leaving us vulnerable to inappropriate, emotional reactions of our child and uncritically learned behavior programmed into our parent. By exploring the structure of our personalities and understanding old decisions, Harris believes we can find the freedom to change our lives.

Ratings and reviews

I don't see the fascination and admiration associated with this book. it's alright and has some good ideas, but life changing awareness...I think not. I guess it depends on your already lived life experiences and your perception of things. I'm just not a fan.

Incredibly resourceful, a gift for all men who ever wanted to understand the child within. A gift for all women who want to give birth. A gift for the United States, a country that has more mass shootings by ratio, to any nation on earth. If you want to know why, read this manuscript. -Christopher Edward

I have yet to find another book that can top this one.

About the author

The late Thomas Harris was a Navy psychiatrist and a professor at the University of Arkansas. He practiced psychiatry in Sacramento, California and directed the Transactional Analysis Association.