Winning Hearts and Minds: Transactional Analysis Simplified

Transactional Analysis (TA) refers to a wide-ranging set of theories about the human personality. It provides an unambiguous and logical framework within which we can understand and analyze ourselves―our motives, our behavior, and our interactions with others. The principles of TA can be applied universally―at home, in the workplace, at clubs and restaurants, at sporting events, in social occasions, and so on. TA was originally developed by the American psychoanalyst Dr Eric Berne in the 1950s. After his untimely death in 1970, the existing TA theory was substantially enlarged and added to by a host of other illustrious contributors.

Winning Hearts and Minds: Transactional Analysis Simplified uses the principles of TA to enable the reader to learn about his or her personality, identify and eliminate certain recurring patterns of harmful behavior that may have become ingrained in the psyche, and discover how to forge and maintain authentic relationships and enrich existing ones. The elegant and lucid theory of TA as set forth in this book has benefited millions of people all over the world as a remarkable means of fostering self-awareness, genuineness, and growth. The book will also be useful to practicing managers and HR professionals who seek to build a positive organizational culture based on the principles of mutual respect and trust.

Indranil Mitra was educated at Modern School, New Delhi, and St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. He did his postgraduation in physics from the Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi. He later joined NTPC Limited as an executive trainee in the HR department and completed Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Punjabi University, Patiala.

In his 30-year career in HR, he held various positions of responsibility in the company’s coal- and gas-based power plants, a subsidiary, and the NTPC Corporate Centre in New Delhi. During Indranil Mitra this time, he designed and implemented various HR/HRD initiatives in NTPC. Subsequently, he joined its apex-level training center, the Power Management Institute, Noida, as Senior Faculty Member in HR and Organization Behavior. He is a certified neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner and has also obtained certification in TA 101.

Indranil’s lifelong interest in transactional analysis (TA) led him to develop a workshop titled “Building Interpersonal Skills through Transactional Analysis,” which he has been conducting at the institute. He wrote this book to make this remarkable technique for self-development and personal growth accessible to a wider audience. He has also co-authored and edited a book, Manthan: Art and Science of Developing Leaders with K. K. Sinha and Ajay Soni, published in 2017. He lives in New Delhi with his wife and daughter.

He is keenly interested in literature, philosophy, music, drawing, art and culture, and bridge.