Life experiences shape how people see themselves and others. Transactional analysis describes four basic life positions in the OK Corral model.

  1. I am OK – You are OK
  2. I am not OK – You are OK
  3. I am OK – You are not OK
  4. I am not OK – You are not OK

The position “I am OK – You are OK” is considered the most constructive foundation for healthy relationships and social cooperation.

OK Corral: two axes, “I am OK / not OK” and “You are OK / not OK”, form four fields, each with a typical behavior.Behaviour:Get awayfrom hereBehaviour:Let’s get onwith itBehaviour:It’s allpointlessBehaviour:To hell withitYou are OKYou are not OKI amnotOKI amOK
Figure 1OK Corral
Description of the diagram

Text description

A horizontal double-headed axis runs from “I am not OK” (left) to “I am OK” (right). A vertical double-headed axis at the right edge runs from “You are OK” (top) to “You are not OK” (bottom). This creates four fields, each labelled “Behavior:”. Top left (I am not OK – You are OK): “Get away from here”. Top right (I am OK – You are OK): “Let’s get on with it”. Bottom left (I am not OK – You are not OK): “It’s all pointless”. Bottom right (I am OK – You are not OK): “To hell with it”. The four fields correspond to the four life positions listed in the article.