The importance of research in transactional analysis. Mark Widdowson’s acceptance speech at the International Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA) Research Award

This article is the acceptance speech of Mark Widdowson for the ITAA Research Award, which was presented to him at the World TA Conference in Berlin in July 2017. Widdowson argues that research is essential to the wider acceptance of transactional analysis and that research will support the expansion of TA and will act as a powerful marketing force for TA-practitioners and training institutes. Therefore, it is in the interests of every member of the TA community to conduct research or actively support further TA research. Widdowson summarizes his research into the effectiveness of TA and presents a brief synopsis of current TA psychotherapy effectiveness research. The article also includes a summary of Mark Widdowson’s research findings regarding the distinctive features of effective TA-psychotherapy and effective TA-therapists. He concludes by expressing his gratitude and thanks to a number of people who have supported him on his research journey.