Brain Hemisphere Specialization and Neurodiversity as Influencing Factors on the Phenomenology of the Adult Ego State

Abstract

The author reviews the development of Adult ego state theories and their applicability to people of different neurotypes. He examines progress in the field of brain hemisphere research and highlights perceptual differences between the right and left brain hemispheres, which actuate the Adult ego state. Applying this research to how the Adult ego state has been modeled in TA, the author questions whether a single model can capture the full functional capacity of the Adult and challenges a valorization of the Adult ego state. Ways in which current Adult ego state models might be adapted are suggested to accommodate the breadth of neurological variance in practitioners and clients. The author then reconceptualizes Adult ego state functioning to inform readers about how the Adult operates differently across neurotypes.