Five Contributory Factors that go to generate Script - Childhood Decisions

Understanding Script

Abstract: The third of the five contributory factors, namely 'childhood decision’, is explained.

Berne mentions five contributory factors go to generate script  -  (1) Parental directives (2) A suitable personality development  (3) A childhood decision (4) A real turn-on to a particular method of success or failure and (5) A convincing attitude or a credible stance . (Berne E. What Do You Say After You Say Hello - Chapter 3) The first two topics have been covered in previous two blogs (click here for links : Parental Directives and A Suitable Personality Development.) The third contributory factor - childhood decision is now explained.

Script is a self authored life plan. The execution of this life plan directs life in its most important aspects to actualise the script goal - the script payoff. The pay off is rewarding in winner scripts. It is based on permissions. The payoff is banal in non-winner scripts. In loser scripts the script pay-off shows up in important aspects of life. Berne says that it shows up at least in marriage (married life), child-rearing, divorce, and manner of death (if that is chosen) (Berne E. What Do You Say After You Say Hello - Chapter 26). The life of a winner is pictured as that of a river which flows from its source and empties in the sea or ocean or lake. The life of a non-winner as that of a river which ends in marshy lands. And, that of a loser of a river which dries up in a desert. 

The word decision is used by Berne to mean a childhood commitment to a certain form of behaviour. This later forms the basis of a person's character. I disagree with Berne in accepting that there is 'a' childhood decision that goes to generate script. Yes there is 'a' decision to choose one life plan, as in 'generate' in preference to others. However there are many decisions that go to structure that life plan. Script generating childhood decisions are capacity denying decisions. They deny capacity for conscious awareness by denying permission to gain access for conscious awareness. They impose a ban on the person even to think of such a possibility. The three by four grid in three areas elaborated in the discount matrix helps us to understand how childhood decisions show up in thirty six ways in which our capacity is denied. (for an overview see Discount and Discounting). 

Childhood decisions are most lethal when they deny the capacities to exist (existence denying), think, feel, be sane and be safe. Others deny one the capacity to experience one's sexuality, express, be close, love and be loved, grow up, be important and succeed. 

Adrienne Lee portrays them as weights chained to a person trying to swim to safety denying him any chance of survival in every way. See her Drowning Person Diagram presentation on YouTube.

The debilitating, crippling, incapacitating effects of childhood decisions are operating beyond even somatic or visceral experience. One needs to have conscious experience of them in operating to know what they are. 

Some persons don't even think that they can do things differently, that they have a chance to live life successfully, that they are important enough to take lead and such like other.  They make such statements - I know not what to do, I know not how to do, I know not how to go about things, I know not why I do not succeed, I know not why I live such a wretched life, It is my fate and destiny and such like others.

The next contributory factor - a real turn-on - will be covered in the next blog.

This is a blog by:

Ajit Karve

+919822024037

ajitpkarve@gmail.com

taforyouandme@gmail.com

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