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Free psychological test · Transactional Analysis (TA)
The Script Process Test — The Road to the Same Ending, the 6+1 Processes
“I can’t rest until I finish” · “Good now, trouble later” and five more
“Why can I only rest once all the work is finished?” “It goes well, and then something always goes wrong at the end.” The results happen in a different matter each time, and yet isn’t the shape in which things flow strangely alike? Whether it is love, work or a diet, if the beginning, the middle and the end always draw a similar curve — that may not be chance. It may be a pattern.
This test measures what Transactional Analysis calls the script process: not the “content” of your life story, but the way the story proceeds. Not what you achieve, but in what order and rhythm you achieve it — it finds your road among seven patterns of proceeding, such as “I can’t rest until I finish” and “Good now, trouble later.”
28 questions and about 5 minutes are enough. Once you know the name of your pattern, you become able to notice for yourself the moment you turn onto the same road next time. Noticing is where choice begins.
Quick sign-up, then start right away · About 5 minutes · 28 questions
The theory behind this test
The script process is a concept set out by the American clinical psychologist Taibi Kahler (1975), and it is one of the core tools of Transactional Analysis, following on from Eric Berne’s life script theory. Kahler noticed that although the content of people’s life stories differs from one person to the next, the time structure in which the story unfolds converges on a small number of patterns. The processes set out in this way are Until, After, Never, Always, Almost and Open-Ended. “Almost” was later subdivided into Type I and Type II, so today they are treated as 6+1.
These patterns are not names of illnesses or flaws. They are habits of how life proceeds, learned by the body since childhood. In Transactional Analysis counseling, noticing your own process is itself regarded as the first step in change — because a pattern loosens as much as it is noticed.
The types you will meet in your result
Until
This is the pattern of “I can’t rest until I have finished all of this.” Because you always put reward and pleasure off until after a condition is met, people call you diligent, but the “end” keeps being pushed back and rest tends not to come. Allowing yourself a small satisfaction in this present moment is the first clue to change.
After
This is the pattern of “It’s good now, but there will be a price to pay after this.” Even in an enjoyable moment, one side of your mind worries in advance about tomorrow’s trouble, and after something good you sometimes bring the flow down yourself. It is important to build up the experience that you can enjoy a pleasure fully and no punishment follows.
Never
This is the pattern of “I never get what I really want.” Even though there is clearly something you want, you hover in front of the starting line, and asking or trying itself feels difficult. Practicing putting what you want into words and taking a very small first step is what unravels this pattern.
Always
This is the pattern of “Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?” Even when you leave an unsatisfying situation, relationship or job, you go back to a similar place, or you stay and put up with the dissatisfaction. The key is discovering that between leaving and staying there is a third option: “changing the conditions.”
Almost I
This is the pattern of “I almost did it.” Things go well right up to the point of completion and then stop with one last stretch left — in the manner of not reading the last chapter of a book, or leaving just one corner uncleaned. It helps to pay conscious attention to the moment of finishing, and to celebrate completion.
Almost II
This is the pattern of reaching the summit and immediately looking at the next mountain, saying “This is nothing yet.” Achievement follows achievement, yet no sense of achievement builds up, so the more successful you look on the outside, the hungrier you tend to be inside. You need the practice of stopping at each point of arrival and fully acknowledging what you have achieved.
Open-Ended
This is the pattern in which, after you achieve a big goal or one chapter of your life ends, the script goes blank at “And then what?” At the point where a set script comes to an end — graduation, the end of a project, retirement — a sense of being at a loss and an emptiness arrive. The turning point is the realization that the story of the next chapter can be written by you, not by someone else.
Who this test is for
- People for whom rest does not feel like rest until everything on the list is finished
- People for whom, when something good happens, the anxiety of “Something is bound to go wrong” comes up first
- People whose work and goals always stop one step short of the end
- People whose joy does not last even when they achieve something, and who go straight on to the next worry
- People who feel that their relationships, jobs and plans end in a similar way every time
Frequently asked questions
Is the test free? Do I need to log in?
Yes, the test is free. When you take it 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 looking at your pattern.
If the result comes out badly, does it mean something is wrong with me? Is it a medical diagnosis?
No, this test is not a medical diagnosis. A script process is not the name of an illness. It is a habit of how life proceeds that everyone has, and this test is a self-understanding tool that helps you notice that habit. If you have concerns about your mental health, we recommend consulting a professional.
What if several patterns seem to apply to me?
That is natural. Kahler too held that a main process and secondary processes can appear together in each person. In the test result you can look at the pattern that stands out most in you, and also at the patterns that work alongside it depending on the situation.