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Cover of I'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis by Thomas A. HarrisI'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis
Classic · Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy

I'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis

by Thomas A. Harris
1967 · 278 pages · Nonfiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Thomas Harris, a psychiatrist, explains transactional analysis, a theory that our personalities contain three parts: a Parent that holds rules learned in childhood, a Child that holds feelings, and an Adult that reasons. Understanding which one is speaking in any conversation, he argues, can help people change and get along better.

Why it's worth reading

It spent 23 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and was one of the defining self-help books of the 1970s.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

Its psychology is dated and not widely used today.

By the numbers

57.5Must-Read Score
  • Readers7 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller53 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Bestseller
#1 New York Times bestseller (23 weeks at #1)

Reads as

Thought-provoking, Practical

How we rank

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Quick answers

Is I'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis worth reading?

Yes. It spent 23 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and was one of the defining self-help books of the 1970s. It ranks #2,581 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 57.5 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is I'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis about?

Thomas Harris, a psychiatrist, explains transactional analysis, a theory that our personalities contain three parts: a Parent that holds rules learned in childhood, a Child that holds feelings, and an Adult that reasons. Understanding which one is speaking in any conversation, he argues, can help people change and get along better.

How long does it take to read I'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis?

About 7 hours (278 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after I'm Ok--You're Ok: A Practical Guide to Transactional Analysis?

If you liked it, try The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie or The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker.