# The OK Corral: The Grid for Get-on-With

*Ernst · Trust & Interpersonal · Transactional Analysis Journal · 1971 · Paywalled*

Introduced the OK Corral: a two-axis grid mapping four life positions derived from Eric Berne's transactional analysis — I'm OK/You're OK, I'm OK/You're not OK, I'm not OK/You're OK, I'm not OK/You're not OK. The grid provides a simple but powerful model for the psychological stance an individual brings to interpersonal interactions, with direct implications for how they approach risk, authority, and voice. The I'm OK/You're OK position is the psychological precondition for genuine psychological safety: it requires both the belief that one's own contribution is legitimate and that others can be trusted to receive it. The other three positions map onto well-recognised failure modes — deference, contempt, and withdrawal. Widely used in coaching and organisational development contexts.

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## Connected concepts (8)

- [Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/edmondson-1999.md) (paper)
- [Calculus of Voice](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/the-calculus-of-voice.md)
- [Affect- and Cognition-Based Trust as Foundations for Interpersonal Cooperation in Organizations](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/mcallister-1995.md) (paper)
- [Leadership Behavior and Employee Voice: Is the Door Really Open?](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/detert-burris-2007.md) (paper)
- [Local Rationality](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/local-rationality.md)
- [The Intuitive Psychologist and His Shortcomings: Distortions in the Attribution Process](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/ross-1977.md) (paper)
- [Barriers to PS](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/barriers-to-psychological-safety.md)
- [Four Stages Critique](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/the-four-stages-of-psychological-safety.md)