In a way I'm sorry I mentioned Transactional Analysis (TA). It came to mind when in my response to a colleagues blog I wondered if I sounded too parental or just adult. T.A. is quite a complicated theory/practice but over the years I simplified it to suit my own purposes. It was developed by Eric Berne in the 1950's. He believed that we have three ego states but unlike Freud with his id, ego and super ego, Berne names them as the Parent, Adult and Child. These catagorise how we think, feel and behave in social interactions. It is used as a means of understanding people or even yourself and is about personal growth and change. By considering which ego is responding in a situation T.A. is very useful as a way of reflecting on conversations or behaviour both verbal and non verbal. The Parent in us will mimic our own parents way of handling a situation, the Adult will see it in a logical and rational way and the Child will replay behaviour, thoughts and feelings from childhood. That's it in a nutshell.
In the course of my work I also used 'process recordings' of interviews as a means of reflection. Basically this means writing an account of all that is said, including tone and inflections as well as body language and then studying it for themes or contradictions, which will be used for progress and change.
To sum up, reflection is more complicated than just thinking. It involves hearing as well as listening; seeing as well as looking and being interested enough to attempt an understanding.
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