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Free psychological test · Transactional Analysis (TA)
The Stroke Test — A Check of the Four Channels for Giving and Receiving Praise and Affection
Giving · Receiving · Asking · Refusing — four channels
When you are praised, do the words “Oh no, it’s nothing” come out first? There are probably also people who want to say thank you and cannot quite get the words out, or for whom asking “Please look at me” when things are hard feels like the most difficult thing in the world. The point where a relationship goes wrong differs from person to person, but it repeats in the same spot surprisingly often.
Transactional Analysis (TA) calls the unit of recognition and attention that passes between people a stroke. A word of greeting, eye contact, praise, a hand that hugs you — all of these are strokes. And on the road that strokes travel there are four channels: giving, receiving, asking and refusing. Through 24 questions, this test measures which of the four channels is well open and which is closed.
A closed channel is not a flaw of character. It is a habit of relating that you learned in childhood. If you know where it is closed, you can begin to open it again from there. About 3 minutes are enough.
Quick sign-up, then start right away · About 3 minutes · 24 questions
The theory behind this test
The concept of the stroke was presented in 1961 by Eric Berne, the founder of Transactional Analysis. He defined a stroke as “the basic unit of recognition,” and held that people have a hunger for contact and recognition (recognition hunger) as much as for food. Later, Jim McKenna (1974) developed a framework for measuring the behavior of giving and receiving strokes by dividing it into several channels, and this test stands in that tradition and looks at four channels: giving, receiving, asking and refusing.
Another axis is the stroke economy proposed by Claude Steiner. He held that many people grow up under invisible rules — “Don’t give freely, don’t ask, don’t just take what is offered” — and come to limit their own expressions of affection. In the interpretation of your result, we also point out how far your flow of strokes is tied to rules like these.
The types you will meet in your result
Giving
This is the channel for handing praise, thanks, and kind words and gestures to the other person. When this channel is open, what is in your heart passes naturally into expression. When it is closed, you feel grateful and yet cannot put it into words, and you let it go with “They’ll know without my saying it.” Affection that is not expressed does not reach the other person, so this is the channel that decides the temperature of a relationship.
Receiving
This is the channel for accepting praise and kindness without pushing them away. When this channel is closed, you deny it by reflex or change the subject when you are praised, and even when you hear something good, it does not stay with you for long. Finding it hard to receive is less a matter of modesty than a habit of not allowing yourself positive strokes.
Asking
This is the channel for requesting the attention and comfort you need from the other person. It is the ability to say “This is hard,” “Hold me,” “Please listen to me.” When this channel is closed, you wait for the other person to notice on their own, and hurt feelings easily build up. Asking is not weakness. It is a mature skill of looking after your own needs within a relationship.
Refusing
This is the channel for not accepting unwanted strokes — blame, rude interference, uncomfortable contact — and sending them back. When this channel is closed, you take in even the words that hurt you and suffer over them alone for a long time. Healthy refusing does not mean cutting off the relationship. It acts as the gatekeeper of the mind, filtering out only what is harmful to you.
Stroke economy (Steiner)
These are the inner rules, identified by Claude Steiner, that restrict the flow of strokes: “Don’t give, don’t ask, don’t accept, don’t give to yourself, don’t refuse.” The stronger these rules are, the more a relationship feels dried up, because affection cannot pass back and forth even when there is plenty of it. Along with your scores for the four channels, the test result shows how tight your stroke economy is, and where you can begin to loosen it.
Who this test is for
- People who feel awkward when praised, and for whom “Oh no” comes out first
- People who are grateful and pleased and yet cannot express it well, and are told they are blunt
- People who cannot say “Help me” when things are hard, and tend to swallow it alone
- People who cannot refuse unpleasant words or rude requests, and suffer over them alone afterward
- People who are often hurt by a difference in how warmly they and their partner or family express affection
Frequently asked questions
Is the test free? Do I need to log in?
Yes, it is free. When you take it after a quick sign-up, your result is saved, and it is also used automatically in later AI analysis and counseling, so you can go on looking at your stroke pattern.
Is the result a medical diagnosis?
No. This test is not a tool for diagnosing disease. It is a self-understanding tool for looking at your habits of giving and receiving praise and affection. If the difficulties of your mind feel severe, we recommend counseling with a professional as well.
If it says a channel is closed, can it be fixed?
Yes. A closed channel is not an inborn character. It is a habit learned while growing up, so change begins with simply noticing it. On the result page we show you specific ways to practice in everyday life, starting with the channel that is most closed.