Timeline
Eighty-two years, from wartime Paris to a ranch in northern California. The key dates in Claude Steiner's life and work.
Born in Paris
Claude Michel Steiner is born on 6 January in Paris, France, to Austrian parents: a Jewish mother and a Christian father.
Family flees the Nazi invasion
With the German army advancing into France, the Steiner family escapes to Spain. Claude is four years old.
Childhood in Spain and Mexico
The family moves from Spain to Mexico, where Steiner spends the remainder of his childhood, growing up between languages and cultures.
Arrives in the United States
At seventeen, Steiner comes to America. He enrolls at the University of California, Berkeley, initially studying engineering, then physics, before turning to psychology.
Meets Eric Berne
Steiner encounters the psychiatrist who is developing Transactional Analysis. The two begin a close intellectual partnership that will shape the rest of Steiner's career.
ITAA founded
The International Transactional Analysis Association is established. Steiner is among its founding members, helping to build the institutional framework for the TA movement.
PhD from the University of Michigan
Steiner completes his doctorate in clinical psychology, equipping him with the academic credentials to match his growing practical expertise.
TA Made Simple published
Steiner publishes an accessible introduction to Transactional Analysis, helping to bring Berne's ideas to a wider audience.
Eric Berne dies
Berne's death marks a turning point. Steiner begins developing Radical Psychiatry with colleagues, challenging conventional psychiatric power structures and emphasising liberation and cooperation.
Games Alcoholics Play published
Steiner's groundbreaking application of TA to alcoholism argues that the interpersonal "games" sustaining addiction can be identified and interrupted. The book reaches a wide audience.
Scripts People Live published
A comprehensive exploration of life script theory, offering clinicians and readers a practical framework for recognising the unconscious plans shaping their lives.
The Original Warm Fuzzy Tale published
A children's parable about generosity and artificial scarcity. The story illustrates Steiner's concept of the "stroke economy" and is eventually read by millions worldwide.
Healing Alcoholism published
A practical guide arguing that alcoholism is curable, not merely manageable. The book provides concrete tools for therapists, families, and people struggling with addiction.
The Other Side of Power published
Steiner examines how interpersonal power works, how it is abused, and how cooperative alternatives can replace control in relationships and institutions.
Achieving Emotional Literacy published
Steiner's definitive guide to emotional literacy: the ability to understand, manage, and express feelings effectively. He distinguishes this carefully from "emotional intelligence."
Emotional Literacy: Intelligence with a Heart published
A broader treatment of emotional literacy, extending the framework to workplaces, schools, and everyday relationships.
The Heart of the Matter published
Steiner's final book, written while living with Parkinson's disease. A distillation of the ideas he spent a lifetime developing.
Dies at Round Mountain Ranch
Claude Steiner dies on 9 January at his ranch in Ukiah, Mendocino County, surrounded by family. His final words: "Love is the answer" and "I'm so lucky."
Born in Paris
Claude Michel Steiner is born on 6 January in Paris, France, to Austrian parents: a Jewish mother and a Christian father.
Family flees the Nazi invasion
With the German army advancing into France, the Steiner family escapes to Spain. Claude is four years old.
Childhood in Spain and Mexico
The family moves from Spain to Mexico, where Steiner spends the remainder of his childhood, growing up between languages and cultures.
Arrives in the United States
At seventeen, Steiner comes to America. He enrolls at the University of California, Berkeley, initially studying engineering, then physics, before turning to psychology.
Meets Eric Berne
Steiner encounters the psychiatrist who is developing Transactional Analysis. The two begin a close intellectual partnership that will shape the rest of Steiner's career.
ITAA founded
The International Transactional Analysis Association is established. Steiner is among its founding members, helping to build the institutional framework for the TA movement.
PhD from the University of Michigan
Steiner completes his doctorate in clinical psychology, equipping him with the academic credentials to match his growing practical expertise.
TA Made Simple published
Steiner publishes an accessible introduction to Transactional Analysis, helping to bring Berne's ideas to a wider audience.
Eric Berne dies
Berne's death marks a turning point. Steiner begins developing Radical Psychiatry with colleagues, challenging conventional psychiatric power structures and emphasising liberation and cooperation.
Games Alcoholics Play published
Steiner's groundbreaking application of TA to alcoholism argues that the interpersonal "games" sustaining addiction can be identified and interrupted. The book reaches a wide audience.
Scripts People Live published
A comprehensive exploration of life script theory, offering clinicians and readers a practical framework for recognising the unconscious plans shaping their lives.
The Original Warm Fuzzy Tale published
A children's parable about generosity and artificial scarcity. The story illustrates Steiner's concept of the "stroke economy" and is eventually read by millions worldwide.
Healing Alcoholism published
A practical guide arguing that alcoholism is curable, not merely manageable. The book provides concrete tools for therapists, families, and people struggling with addiction.
The Other Side of Power published
Steiner examines how interpersonal power works, how it is abused, and how cooperative alternatives can replace control in relationships and institutions.
Achieving Emotional Literacy published
Steiner's definitive guide to emotional literacy: the ability to understand, manage, and express feelings effectively. He distinguishes this carefully from "emotional intelligence."
Emotional Literacy: Intelligence with a Heart published
A broader treatment of emotional literacy, extending the framework to workplaces, schools, and everyday relationships.
The Heart of the Matter published
Steiner's final book, written while living with Parkinson's disease. A distillation of the ideas he spent a lifetime developing.
Dies at Round Mountain Ranch
Claude Steiner dies on 9 January at his ranch in Ukiah, Mendocino County, surrounded by family. His final words: "Love is the answer" and "I'm so lucky."
Learn more
The dates tell one story. His ideas tell another.