Contamination

The word contamination for many conjures up the idea of disease. For instance, we tend to use the word for when bacteria have got into food. This is similar to the idea of contaminated Integrating Adult ego state. This shows itself when we talk as if something is a fact or a reality when in reality it is a belief. Racism is an example of this. The Integrating Adult ego state is contaminated in this case by the Parent ego state. If we are white we might have lived with parents or significant others who said such things as "Black people take our jobs". Growing up, it is likely, that having no real experience to go by, we believed this. We might also have been told that Black people are aggressive. In our Child ego state may well lodge some scared feelings about Black people and in this ego state we may start to believe "All Black people are scary". This would mean that there would be a double contamination of the Integrating Adult ego state.

                   Parent Contamination       Child Contamination       Double Contamination