Book excerpt: The psychotherapist and author of Scripts People Live shows readers how to use their personal strengths to achieve what they want. Claude M. Steiner (1935–2017) was a bestselling author and psychotherapist who pioneered the popular field of Transactional Analysis, which involves analysis of an individual’s social interactions as a basis for understanding behavior. First published in 1981 and now back in print, The Other Side of Power is the sequel to Dr. Steiner’s influential Scripts People Live and feels as relevant today as ever. Power—we all want it, we all need it. We feel its effects in our business, family, and personal relationships. In this accessible volume, Dr. Steiner shows how everyone can be powerful without being power-hungry. Instead of chasing the increasingly empty and improbably “conventional American power dream,” as Dr. Steiner puts it, the other side of power—our own personal strengths—can be used to get us what we want. This humane approach is not predicated upon the exploitation or manipulation of others, which leads to power for the few and not the many. In clear terms and with specific examples, the author shows how to draw instead upon individual strengths to neutralize and turn to advantage situations that could otherwise result in feeling of powerlessness. The Other Side of Power teaches us that once we understand the nature of power, we can learn to deal with it more comfortably and use it toward more rewarding personal and professional relationships. Dr. Steiner’s classic in psychological theory offers a meaningful and practical guide to harnessing the other side of power.