Understanding Your Personality with the Egogram: A Complete Guide to CP, NP, A, FC, and AC

What Is the Egogram?

The Egogram is a personality assessment tool developed by John Dusay, built on the Transactional Analysis (TA) theory of psychologist Eric Berne. It represents a person’s personality as the energy distribution across five ego states.

The five ego states are:

CP (Critical Parent): principle, criticism, sense of responsibility
NP (Nurturing Parent): care, empathy, nurturing
A (Adult): logic, analysis, realistic judgment
FC (Free Child): creativity, spontaneity, emotional expression
AC (Adapted Child): compliance, people-pleasing, self-suppression

1. Core Characteristics of the Five Ego States

The Five Egogram Ego States

Principles · Discipline · Criticism

CP (Critical Parent)

High: strict, perfectionist / Low: undisciplined, indecisive

Empathy · Care · Nurturing

NP (Nurturing Parent)

High: devoted, kind / Low: perceived as cold, lacking empathy

Logic · Analysis · Reality

A (Adult)

High: rational, thoughtful / Low: impulsive, unrealistic

Creativity · Spontaneity · Emotion

FC (Free Child)

High: energetic and creative / Low: dull, suppressed expression

Compliance · People-pleasing · Self-suppression

AC (Adapted Child)

High: stress buildup, dependency / Low: perceived as selfish

Balance of all five

Balanced Egogram

Ideally, no single state is excessively high or low

2. Common Egogram Patterns

Pattern 1: N-Shape (Both Ends High)

CP ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  High
NP ▓▓▓▓▓     Moderate
A  ▓▓▓▓      Moderate
FC ▓▓▓▓▓     Moderate
AC ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  High

Characteristics: Both CP and AC are high — outwardly strict but inwardly anxious and approval-seeking. Perfectionistic, yet overly concerned with others’ opinions.

Pattern 2: U-Shape (Low in the Middle)

CP ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  High
NP ▓▓▓▓      Low
A  ▓▓▓       Low
FC ▓▓▓▓      Low
AC ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  High

Characteristics: Critical and compliant but lacking empathy, logic, and spontaneity. Often associated with people raised in repressive environments.

Pattern 3: M-Shape (High–Low–High)

CP ▓▓▓▓      Low
NP ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  High
A  ▓▓▓▓      Low
FC ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  High
AC ▓▓▓▓      Low

Characteristics: Warm, energetic, and free-spirited, but weak in logic and principles — may be overly driven by emotion.

Pattern 4: Reverse N-Shape (Ideal Balanced Type)

CP ▓▓▓▓▓     Moderate
NP ▓▓▓▓▓▓    High
A  ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓   High
FC ▓▓▓▓▓▓    High
AC ▓▓▓        Low

Characteristics: NP, A, and FC all high; AC low. Warm, rational, and spontaneous — the ideal balanced profile.

3. The Egogram and Interpersonal Relationships

Ego State Strengths and Cautions in Relationships

구분
	High CP: earns trust and authority in organizations	High CP: can come across as rigid or overbearing
	High NP: a reliable source of support for teammates and family	High NP: others may become overly dependent
	High A: a calm mediator during conflict	High A: may seem cold due to lack of emotional attunement
	High FC: energizes the team, generates creative ideas	High FC: impulsive behavior may erode trust
	Moderate AC: a harmonious, cooperative team player	High AC: suppressed opinions build up, risking burnout

4. Strategies for Balancing Your Ego States

Before criticizing, first ask yourself: “Why might they have done that?”
Practice self-acceptance — it’s okay not to be perfect
Replace “you should” with “it would be great if”

Practice expressing your feelings and opinions out loud
Make small decisions for yourself (what to eat, when to go out, etc.)
Practice saying no: try saying “That’s difficult for me right now”

Pause for 3 seconds before reacting emotionally
Develop the habit of organizing situations based on data and facts
Keep an emotion journal: separate your feelings, facts, and interpretations

5. The Egogram and Career Fit

Ideal Ego State Distribution by Career (Conceptual Example, %)

Management (CP+A emphasis)

Counselor/Teacher (NP+A emphasis)

Creative Professional (FC emphasis)

Researcher (A emphasis)

Service Industry (NP+AC balance)

6. Take the Egogram Assessment

References

Eric Berne, Introduction to Transactional Analysis: The foundational text of TA theory
John Dusay, Egograms: The original work introducing the Egogram concept
Wikipedia — Transactional Analysis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transactional_analysis

Ideal Ego State Distribution by Career (Conceptual Example, %)

OIYO Editorial