Claude Steiner, Emotional Activist

This book describes the work and life of Claude Michel Steiner, a close colleague and friend of Eric Berne, the founder of transactional analysis. Steiner was an early and influential transactional analyst, an exponent of radical psychiatry, and the founder of emotional literacy. Steiner also contributed a number of theories and concepts to the psychological literature.

The book comprises edited excerpts from his unpublished autobiography, "Confessions of a Psychomechanic", alongside commentaries and critical essays from colleagues on his major contributions to the fields of psychology, transactional analysis, radical therapy, and emotional literacy. Topics covered include script theory and the theory of strokes, recognition hunger, radical therapy, and the concept of power, and emotional literacy and love. In assessing Steiner’s various contributions, the book also identifies central themes in his work and life and considers the autobiographical nature of theory.

This unique collection demonstrates not only the range of Steiner’s insights but also his importance to the wider field and will be essential reading for practitioners and trainees alike.