In Transactional Analysis, which ego state is the conscience, or ego state concerned with moral behavior?

In Transactional Analysis, which ego state is the conscience, or ego state concerned with moral behavior?

• A. Superego
• B. Parent
• C. Child
• D. Ego

Answer: (B)

In Transactional Analysis, the conscience lives in the Parent ego state. This state contains the introjected rules and norms we internalize from authority figures—like what’s right or wrong and how people should behave. Within the Parent, the Critical Parent part voices moral judgments, which is how the conscience guides or evaluates our actions. The other ego states serve different roles: the Adult handles reality-based thinking and decision-making, and the Child holds feelings and spontaneous responses. The Superego isn’t a TA term, and “Ego” refers to the overall system rather than a single state, so they don’t map to the conscience the way the Parent does.

In Transactional Analysis, the conscience lives in the Parent ego state. This state contains the introjected rules and norms we internalize from authority figures—like what’s right or wrong and how people should behave. Within the Parent, the Critical Parent part voices moral judgments, which is how the conscience guides or evaluates our actions. The other ego states serve different roles: the Adult handles reality-based thinking and decision-making, and the Child holds feelings and spontaneous responses. The Superego isn’t a TA term, and “Ego” refers to the overall system rather than a single state, so they don’t map to the conscience the way the Parent does.