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Free psychological test · Transactional Analysis (TA)
The Life Position Test — How You See Yourself and Others
Am I OK? Are others OK? — four places the mind stays
Why do I always go along with the other person and then feel hurt afterward? Why do I keep putting myself down in front of some people, and on other days start by blaming someone else? It seems to be a matter of mood at the time, but if you look closely, you find yourself going back to the same place with surprising regularity.
Transactional Analysis calls that place a life position. “Am I OK? Are other people OK?” — the combination of answers your mind habitually gives to these two questions decides the emotional position you stay in every day. This is where the root of the patterns that repeat in your relationships lies.
In 24 questions and about 3 minutes, this test shows which of the four places your mind stays in most often. Whichever place you are in, it is not an illness. It is a habit you have been learning since childhood, and a habit can be changed from the moment you notice it.
Quick sign-up, then start right away · About 3 minutes · 24 questions
The theory behind this test
The life position is a core concept that Eric Berne, the founder of Transactional Analysis, refined over the years. In his last book, What Do You Say After You Say Hello? (1972), it is set out as a basic decision, made early in life, about the worth of oneself and of others. Berne held that a person writes their life script on top of this basic position.
The person who turned this into a tool you can take in at a glance was the clinician Franklin Ernst. In his 1971 paper “The OK Corral: The Grid for Get-On-With,” he proposed a four-quadrant grid with the positive and negative of “I” and “You” as its two axes — the OK Corral. The four result types of this test correspond to the four places on the OK Corral.
The types you will meet in your result
I’m OK, You’re OK (I+U+)
This is the place of holding that I am fine and the other person is fine too. Even when a problem comes up, you think first of “how do we solve this together,” not “who is in the wrong,” and cooperation and closeness come naturally. Transactional Analysis sees this position as the basis of healthy relationships. It is not something you are born with. It is a place you stay in by consciously choosing it and practicing.
I’m OK, You’re not OK (I+U-)
This is the place where it is easy to feel that I am right and the other person is the problem. In a frustrating situation, blaming others comes first, and it tends to show up as criticizing or trying to control. Underneath there is often a self-protection that keeps its distance first, before it can be disappointed. Practicing listening once more to the other person’s circumstances is the first step out of this place.
I’m not OK, You’re OK (I-U+)
This is the place of feeling that everyone else seems to do well and only I fall short. You are used to going along with others and giving way, but hurt feelings build up inside just as easily. It looks like modesty, but it may in fact be a settled habit of cutting down your own worth. Recovering the sense that “I’m OK too” is the task of this place.
I’m not OK, You’re not OK (I-U-)
This is the place of feeling that I am not much good and that nothing in the world can be trusted either. With the attitude that if you expect nothing you will not be disappointed, you stay withdrawn from relationships, and it sometimes shows up as listlessness or cynicism. If you have stayed in this place for a long time, it is also a signal of how worn out you have been. If you build up experiences again, starting with one small, safe relationship, the place can shift.
Who this test is for
- People who keep going along with others in relationships and then end up feeling hurt on their own
- People who find it strange and uncomfortable that blaming others comes first when they get angry
- People for whom the thought “I’m the only one who falls short” comes up often
- People who are tired of expecting something from others and being disappointed, and have closed the door of their heart
- People who want to know why the same pattern of conflict keeps recurring in love, at work and in the family
Frequently asked questions
Is the test free? Do I need to log in?
Yes, it is free. When you take the test after a quick sign-up, your result is saved, and it is used automatically in later AI analysis and counseling, so you can go on following your own change.
Is this test a medical diagnosis?
No. The life position test is not a diagnostic tool for identifying illness. It is a self-understanding tool for looking at the place your mind habitually stays in within relationships. Whatever the result, it is not the name of an illness. It is a starting point.
What if the result comes out badly? Can a life position change?
Yes, it can change. The view of Transactional Analysis is that a life position is not an inborn character. It is a decision and a habit learned in childhood. Noticing which place you are in now is itself the first step toward moving to I’m OK, You’re OK (I+U+).