Investigation in Transactional Behaviors in “Tahmine and Tahmtan” and “Gordãfarid and Sohrab” (Based on Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis Attitude

Rahmatian, Leila; Baygzade, Khalil; Yazdanbakhsh, Kamran

doi:10.30465/lir.2025.49846.1912

Investigation in Transactional Behaviors in “Tahmine and Tahmtan” and “Gordãfarid and Sohrab” (Based on Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis Attitude

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Leila Rahmatian ¹

Khalil Baygzade ²

Kamran Yazdanbakhsh ³

¹ PhD Persian language and literature student, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

² Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature/ Persian Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

³ Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/lir.2025.49846.1912

Abstract

Introduction
Ferdowsi employs literary techniques fluently, he uses the literary technique of moment-making to create some caustic, dramatic, and tragic moments to stir up the story and motivate the reader's feelings. Shahnameh is full of psychoanalysis, characterization, and expression of the psychological states and attitudes of the characters. Each "Ego State" represents dynamic behavior patterns tied to various actions. Eric Berne identifies these states as "child, parent, and adult". The "Operant" sends a Stimulus to a "Respondent," initiating a transaction that can be categorized as good or bad. Berne outlines elements of game analysis: “Thesis, Goals, Transactions, Paradigm, Acts, and Results.” Repetitive maladaptive behaviors turn into dysfunctional schemas in the organization of human personality and lead people to recreate unpleasant situations. Traumatic schemas can impair a person's emotional well-being and social actions. This study has investigated the narratives of "Tahmine & Tahmtan" and "Gerdāfarid & Sohrab" who have reached romantic confrontations, using the diagnostic methods of Eric Byrne's attitude of "Interaction Analysis", which is a subset of "Dynamic Psychology". In transactional analysis, games reflect the expression of "Ego states" within complex Scripts. Complementary Transactions only involve two "Ego states." At the same time, more complex interactions arise from combinations of states, such as "Crossed" and "Angular Transactions" Repetitive maladaptive behaviors become entrenched life schemas, leading individuals to recreate harmful situations. Each person may exhibit multiple schemas, and those considered traumatic can severely impact emotional well-being and social functioning.
Methods
This study first examines the narrative and its main characters with a descriptive approach to narrative analysis in the literary-fiction aspects. Then, it analyzes the data of the first part with the attitude of "TA" in the psycho-oriented part. Also, Transactional games have been processed based on the diagnostic characteristics of this attitude, executive power, adaptability, biological flow, and mental force. On the other side, the type of "Ego state" with the perception of the psychological situation " The character's prominent state is explored in response or sending stimuli in the game.
Discussion & Result
In narrative-based analyses, the main plot core of the narratives, the personality aspects, and the perspective of each narrative have been examined. In the plot of the story between "Tahmineh and Tahmtan", childbearing is the reason The main thing is Tahmineh's love for Rostam, which is the result of Sohrab's birth. The great tragedy of Shahnameh takes place behind this confrontation, and Tahmineh moves the story forward with an active character at the center of the narrative. In this narrative, the reader is faced with a closed plot away from the complexities of tying the knots. The omniscient perspective in the story allows Ferdowsi to report the inner states of the actors in various scenes and sometimes include them in his circle of judgment. finally, the reader is informed about the details of this event, such as an episode of a play. In the confrontation between "Gerdāfarid and Sohrab", Ferdowsi, as the omniscient narrator in this story, advances the structural correlation of the narrative based on the atmosphere of the story and the characters, although he also uses a dramatic perspective in various parts of the narrative. In the plot, the principle of resistance is based on the White Fortress, which is like a gateway to Iran, but tying the knot with the revelation of the female identity of Gerdāfarid leads the narrative towards a romantic delay, the characters are active and take action to win over the rival.
In psycho-based analyses, it was revealed that; The event between Tahmine and Tahmtan is not a request for marriage. Still, Rostam is a suitable tool for institutionalizing her mind, which is the birth of a son with Tahmtan characteristics. In the battle between Gerdāfarid and Sohrab and then Gerdāfarid's escape from Sohrab's war and love, Gerdāfarid displays national pride and Iranian supremacy behind beauty, wisdom, and bravery. He can take Sohrab with him to Sepid-dez and on the way to love him agrees with him, but prefers to leave Sohrab's fate to Rostam and the Persian army to act as a Persian warrior deserves. In "An angular Transaction", Tahmine sends a stimulus to Rostam with the "Child" and receives a response with the "Child" mode. In the first game, in "An angular Transaction", after the captivity of Hajir with the "Parent" mode, Gerdāfarid sends the stimulus of the game to Sohrab, but the stimulus of the second game, again in "An angular Transaction" with the "Adult" mode, is thrown at Sohrab by performing flattering caresses. Sohrab in both games is a "Normal Child". The respondent is a large and strong teenager who has not yet been given a chance to crystallize his physical and mental maturity, and rational thinking, which is an adult function, has no place in Sohrab's "Selfish Child".
Conclusion
Tahmine is an actress who regards childbearing as a social privilege, embracing the life script of "externality." Rostam, embodying "The Honorable Hero," operates outside dissonance, approaching life like a free-spirited child. Gerdāfarid recognizes society's need for a hero and steps up after his community suffers a "collective defeat" due to Hajir's captivity. He encourages Sohrab to rise above this "humiliated" mindset by tapping into "The Hero Within." In the next scenario, Gerdāfarid confronts challenges through "Heroic Insight," relying on intelligence when faced with defeat. Sohrab, driven by the urge to "Be Perfect," initially responds well but becomes trapped in deception. His "over-controlling perfectionist" mentality leads him to prioritize winning at all costs, ultimately resulting in his defeat due to Gerdāfarid's manipulation.

Keywords

Ferdowsi'

s Shahnameh

Rostam and Tahmine

Gerdã

farid and Sohrab&‌rsquo

s battle

Eric Berne

Transactional Analysis

Subjects

Literary interdisciplinary research

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