Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships - Understanding Social Dynamics for Personal Growth & Therapy | Perfect for Counselors, Psychologists & Self-Help Enthusiasts

First off, this book isn't written for the casual layman, even though its information can be critical in how you understand the people around you -- those close and those cursory. But that's not to say it's a dense academic book, far from it; Berne hopes/expects that you have some understanding of sociology and psychology as he jumps in to fascinating discussions about certain human behaviors (particularly interpersonal relationship behavior) that is primarily utilized to construct walls and is rooted in the fear of being intimate (not necessarily sexually intimate, but genuinely honest about what you're thinking and feeling and expressing to & about your life and others that you interact with).The various "game" titles/descriptors that Berne uses are a little dated, but they still are very apropos and describe the essence of the so-called aberrant behavior in a wide variety of social settings - from the mundane (an acquaintance you know from the lobby at work) to the highly complex (the behavior of sexual partners who are past the early stages of the relationship).Reading the actual entries and their examples takes a bit of getting used to, as the jargon is very specific and precise to the established "rules of the game" that Berne presents in the revelatory introduction and opening chapters.After reading the first half dozen entries, I was quickly attuned to the behavior of lovers (current and past), friends, family and acquaintances currently and/or in the past that was confusing, frustrating or confounding; that was eye opening and gave me greater understanding to why certain relationship are the way they are.After continued reading (and it's helpful to read each chapter more than once to get the most benefit), it became an interesting exercise to pinpoint and categorize peoples behavior or combinations of behaviors, and think about the origins and/or continued causes of said behavior.Not that this are the end-all/be-all diagnosis of why people play certain games, but it does provide a groundwork for understanding, but, ultimately, this book is uniquely indispensable in providing an understanding human psychology, character (for writers & directors) and the behavior that stems from that.