In today's hectic world, further training often takes place alongside work. We all face the challenge of balancing work, personal development and stress management. So how can stress be reduced?
In this article, I introduce you to the model of inner drivers, based on Eric Berne's transactional analysis. They can help you to recognise how stress arises in you. This allows you to reduce your own inner pressure and stress.
What is transactional analysis?
Transactional analysis is a psychological theory that aims to understand our communication patterns and behaviours. Its founder Eric Berne discovered that in the course of our lives we develop scripts – unconscious beliefs and behaviour patterns – that influence our thinking and actions. These scripts can also lead to stress and strain. Above all through our own expectations of ourselves.
The role of personal inner drivers
Based on Eric Berne's transactional analysis, T. Kahler developed the "inner drivers" model. Kahler identified five general drivers. Drivers are internalised beliefs that we developed early in childhood and that shape our thinking, feeling and acting. They worked back then exactly as they still do today.
- «Always be perfect!» Expects flawless performance and unrealistic achievements. Leads to excessive stress and the feeling of never being good enough.
- «Always be strong!» Pushes you to suppress your own needs and go beyond your limits. Can cause overload and isolation.
- «Hurry up!» Creates constant haste and hectic, neglects your own mindfulness and leads to chronic stress.
- «Always try hard!» Puts us under pressure to gain recognition and success and neglects to respect our own limits.
- «Always please everyone!» Prioritises the needs of others over your own and leads to dissatisfaction and imbalance.
These drivers steer our thinking, feeling and behaviour. Recognising them consciously makes it possible to act more consciously and to reduce stress.
Self-knowledge as the key to stress reduction
The first step towards reducing stress is self-knowledge. Find out which inner drivers are present in you and how strongly. Do you recognise patterns in which you feel more stressed or overwhelmed?
Rethinking and reassessing
As soon as you have recognised which inner drivers trigger stress, you can start working on them. Admittedly, it sounds easier than it is. Ask yourself the question:
"Are these drivers still useful, or are they keeping me trapped in a cycle of stress?"
Take a critical look at your drivers and consider how you could turn them into healthier thought patterns. Instead of «Always be perfect!», the new mantra could be «I do my best and learn from my experiences».
Effective stress management can be learned. Take a look at our course on stress management here.
Conclusion: control the stress, not the other way round
Personal responsibility is the key to change and offers a powerful way to recognise and reduce the causes that trigger or intensify stress in your life. Break old patterns and establish healthier thought patterns. If you would like to learn more about your inner drivers, feel free to take a look here.
I look forward to reading your thoughts, questions and experiences in the comments. Let's broaden our horizons of knowledge together!