In Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis, what is the Child ego state?

• A. An individual who exhibits feelings/behaviors of a mature adult
• B. A message that is ignored by the other person
• C. An individual who exhibits feelings/behaviors natural to children under seven years old
• D. Verbal and nonverbal communication between two people

Answer: (C)

In Transactional Analysis, the Child ego state contains feelings and behaviors that originate in childhood and are typical of children under about seven years old. It expresses spontaneous, emotional, imaginative, and impulsive reactions—think bursts of joy, playfulness, curiosity, or temper, rather than calm, rational decision-making. This is different from the Adult ego state, which processes information logically and objectively, and from the Parent ego state, which carries internalized rules and messages from authority figures. So the description of someone exhibiting feelings and behaviors natural to young children aligns with the Child ego state. The other choices point to the Adult state, a message, or interpersonal communication, not to the Child ego state.