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Fanita English

 

The Challenges That Make Life Worth Living

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
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DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 

 

I'm interested in the challenges that bring out the best in us and make it possible for us to gain a sense of achievement, be productive and useful to others. Can we approach challenges with a sense of excitement and interest, even enjoyment,  rather than  as difficulties to overcome?  I believe challenges are at the root of creativity and accomplishment.

Fanita English Bio

Fanita English , MSW, Teaching Member of the International Transactional Analysis Association,  is an internationally known lecturer and workshop presenter.

She went to an English school in Istanbul, Turkey,  earned a Diploma in Psychology from the Sorbonne University, (Paris) and an MSW from Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. She had psychoanalytic training at the Paris Psychoanalytic Institute and the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, Transactional Analysis with Eric Berne and Gestalt therapy training with Fritz Perls.


From l953-56 she was the director of “Ridge Farm”, an institution for emotionally disturbed children outside Chicago. From l956-64 she was in private practice before becoming a Transactional Analyst in Chicago (where she also taught part-time at Chicago University.)
 
In l970 she founded the “Eastern Institute for TA and Gestalt” in Philadelphia, where she practiced and taught untill l979. After l980 she worked exclusively in Europe, conducting workshops and offering lectures at a number of institutes, organizations and universities in Western Europe (Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy). She was a keynote speaker at the first two World Psychotherapy Congresses held in Austria.

Fanita has written four books in German, two in French, one in Italian, and many articles and chapters of books in English. Her biography, entitled “Fanita English” was authored by Sigrid Roehl in German (Isko Press, Germany, 2004).

Fanita lives in San Mateo, California.

 

Website:  www.fanita-english.com


DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
User-uploaded Content
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
Exercise: Identify Your Primary Motivations
by Fanita English

 

Purpose
You can do this activity, designed by Fanita English and based on her inner motivational model, to identify your most and least dominant inner motivations.

Rationale
In her videotape, The Forces Within Us, English chose to represent the three motivations within each of us, by calling them the Goddesses of survival, passion, and quiescence  - Survia, Passia, and Quiessa (English, 1998). *

 

Typical Attributes for Each Motivation

 

Survia

 

 

Passia

 

 

Quiessa

 

 

Learning Objectives

  • Identify your most and least dominant motivations.
  • Determine what you need to do to balance your motivations to make effective decisions.

Materials
Pencil and paper.

Participants
You can do this activity by yourself or with a partner.

Setting
Your choice

Time Required
30 minutes

Instructions

1. Number a paper from 1 - 9.
2. Write the names of nine people who have characteristics with which you identify.
3. Next to the person's name, write the main characteristic with which you identify.
4. By consulting the list of the attributes and manifestations above, you can find in which of the following inner motivational categories each characteristic falls: (a) survival, (b) passion, (c ) quiescence (peacefulness, quietude).
5. Count up how many entries have been entered in each motivational category.

Assessment of Learning Objectives
Which inner motivation is dominant in your life?
Which motivation is least prevalent?
Is any motivation lacking in your life?

Discussion
When I (Sally) first did this activity, I discovered that peacefulness was totally lacking in my life. As a result of performing this activity, I took Yoga and Pilates classes to learn how to relax. This is a good activity to do more than once. It can be used as a barometer to check out how you are balancing your life. Think about how your most dominant motivator can help you make a career decision; what motivation you need to bring more of into your life; what motivation you need to moderate; and how this will strengthen your decision-making ability.


*This activity is based on English, F. (1998). Videotape: The forces within us. International Transactional Analysis Association 436 14th Street, Ste 1301, Oakland, CA 94612. Email: ITAA@ITAA-net.org.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Interview Questions

 

1. You have been an internationally known transactional analyst for the past 40 years and have been giving workshops in Westerm Europe (Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, England), India, and Japan. How can you use TA to deal with the current international situation.  (work with people's problems individually and in groups, including people in the workplace).

 

2. As a Transactional Analyst, what do you have to say about Obama (his fantastic ability to use his adult ego state).  What do you mean about adult ego state? What are the ego states? 

 

3. What ego state did Bush mostly use? 

 

4. What other states does Obama use? (moves very comfortably between child and adult).  He avoids using parent ego state.  Instead, he says, let's find out.

 

5. Say you were a full-time employee who is afraid of losing your job.  How could you deal with your boss, fellow employees?  (you need to know when you are afraid; get out of fear; child - comes with need for someone to tell you what to do, use adult).

 

6. Ok, now say you were a job seeker and afraid you would not be able to earn a living, support your family, and save for old age (look at situation realistically, this is how things are, turn to religion, values, philosophy of life, spirituality; look at worst thing that could happen, i.e., be on the street, totally employed).

 

7. Have you ever been through a time when you were down and out? (refugee from Europe and came on last boat to U.S. before Germans invaded France and the holocaust; maybe all is lost and we can just do the best we can do [adult]; try to be as clear-headed as can be, don't let emotions rule your decisions. In 1997, my son died.  I was so befuddled.  At age 61 I had $1000, a house with a mortgage and nothing else.  I proceded to do the best I could and keep looking at possibilities.  Sometimes you need to have good fortune and luck.  I had an opportunity to do work in Europe.  I took it.  It was a risk. I was cheated by a partner who went off with all my money.  I took a risk and it worked for me.  We should be capable of taking risk if we feel that something.  Be open to other systems of thought.  I worked in Japan.  I don't speak Japanese.  I made my own pocket dictionary.  I wrote out lots of words [who, what, where , when , why, before, after - prepositions].  Ask the job seeker, do you have other skills or interests that are completely different from what you have been using in your job?  What saved me in wartime was having secretarial skills; I can do type and shorthand. Even though I had a degree in psychology, that wouldn't do me any good in the war. 

 

Look at you (Sally); keep on exploring new opportunities.  Some work and some don't.  Obama's father wasn't very good in school.  Two American ladies took an interest in him and suddenly he took fire, started doing well in school.  They urged him (a Kenyan) to apply to schools in the states (applied to 30 universities for scholarships).  Twenty-nine turned him down; only accepted in Hawaii.  He did not even know English.  Did well at University of Hawaii, then applied to Harvard and a smaller school.  Chose Harvard.  Obama's mother is an example of energy and risk-taking. Keep trying your resources.  He kept running for state offices, even though he failed terribly at first. Sometimes you may see you need another skill to do a better job.

 

8. You and in your 90s and still presenting in Europe. What are your plans for this year? (work abroad, ....)

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Introduction


Welcome Fanita English and welcome colleagues all over the country and world, to the Careerwell Tele-Interview series. This is Dr. Sally Gelardin. This is the first tele-interview that I have conducted, since 2002 (7 years ago when I started interviewing career and wellness leaders), where I am actually sitting in the same room as our speaker. What a novel experience!

 

I have a confession.  I am totally in awe of Fanita English.  I met her in the mid 90s, when we were part of a group that started an interdenominational spiritual eldering movement. Of course, as a leader in the Transactional Analysis movement, Fanita was the leader of the group. Fanita is one of the few original leaders of TA still alive and kicking and still presenting workshops all over the world. The Transactional Analysis movement was started by Eric Berne in the late 1950s. Fanita English , MSW, Teaching Member of the International Transactional Analysis Association,  is an internationally known lecturer and workshop presenter.

 

She went to an English school in Istanbul, Turkey,  earned a Diploma in Psychology from the Sorbonne University, (Paris) and an MSW from Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. She had psychoanalytic training at the Paris Psychoanalytic Institute and the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, Transactional Analysis with Eric Berne and Gestalt therapy training with Fritz Perls.

 

Well, I'll let Fanita take it from here.  She has a lot to share so let's catch her words of wisdom before she becomes a centenarian.

 

If you have a question at any point, press 5* on your phone.  I'll call on those who raise their hand by pressing 5* throughout the phone conversation.

 

Interview Questions

 

1. You have been an internationally known transactional analyst for the past 40 years and have been giving workshops in Westerm Europe (Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, England), India, and Japan. How can you use TA to deal with the current international situation?

 

2. As a Transactional Analyst, what do you have to say about Barack Obama (his fantastic ability to use his adult ego state)? What do you mean about adult ego state? What are the ego states? 

 

3. What ego state did George Bush mostly use? 

 

4. What other states does Obama use? (moves very comfortably between child and adult).  He avoids using parent ego state.  Instead, he says, let's find out.

 

5. Say you were a full-time employee who is afraid of losing your job.  How could you deal with your boss, fellow employees?  (you need to know when you are afraid; get out of fear; child - comes with need for someone to tell you what to do, use adult).

 

6. Ok, now say you were a job seeker and afraid you would not be able to earn a living, support your family, and save for old age (look at situation realistically, this is how things are, turn to religion, values, philosophy of life, spirituality; look at worst thing that could happen, i.e., be on the street, totally employed).

 

7. Have you ever been through a time when you were down and out? (refugee from Europe and came on last boat to U.S. before Germans invaded France and the holocaust; maybe all is lost and we can just do the best we can do [adult]; try to be as clear-headed as can be, don't let emotions rule your decisions). In 1997, my son died.  I was so befuddled.  At age 61 I had $1000, a house with a mortgage and nothing else.  I proceded to do the best I could and keep looking at possibilities.  Sometimes you need to have good fortune and luck.  I had an opportunity to do work in Europe.  I took it.  It was a risk. I was cheated by a partner who went off with all my money.  I took a risk and it worked for me.  We should be capable of taking risk if we feel that something.  Be open to other systems of thought.  I worked in Japan.  I don't speak Japanese.  I made my own pocket dictionary.  I wrote out lots of words [who, what, where , when , why, before, after - prepositions].  Ask the job seeker, do you have other skills or interests that are completely different from what you have been using in your job?  What saved me in wartime was having secretarial skills; I can do type and shorthand. Even though I had a degree in psychology, that wouldn't do me any good in the war. 

 

Look at you (Sally); keep on exploring new opportunities.  Some work and some don't.  Obama's father wasn't very good in school.  Two American ladies took an interest in him and suddenly he took fire, started doing well in school.  They urged him (a Kenyan) to apply to schools in the states (applied to 30 universities for scholarships).  Twenty-nine turned him down; only accepted in Hawaii.  He did not even know English.  Did well at University of Hawaii, then applied to Harvard and a smaller school (which would have paid for wife and son).  Chose Harvard and left wife and son.  Obama's mother is an example of energy and risk-taking. Keep trying your resources.  He kept running for state offices, even though he failed terribly at first. Sometimes you may see you need another skill to do a better job.

 

8. You and in your 90s and still presenting in Europe. What are your plans for this year? (work abroad, ....)

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Feedback

 

You were a wonderful, appreciative interviewer and the call brought back many TA memories for me. The part focusing on job searchers was especially helpful. Dick H., Ohio


I liked the way, you lead the conversation from one sub-topic point to the other.  Fanita did give me certainly some kind of impact – from yesterday till today – I sometimes am just amazed what the woman went through. Even if she would be 70 or 80 – the experience and the whirlwind up again to back on track. I still can’t really comprehend that she is 90 and like you said still kicking – seems mentally and emotionally enormously fit. (How does she make that connection again and again until this day to spirit?) Maybe honesty where her life was carrying her and a lot of luck? A biography is definite a must for this woman Sally. Everyone has a story to tell, however for her – it would almost be like a “thank you from the world” . Thank you again for letting me being able to listen in.
Ann B.,  Switzerland.

 

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.