"Games People Play" by Eric Berne, a psychiatrist. The book is a handbook of transactional analysis (TA), a method of understanding and analyzing human communication and behavior. The excerpt explores the concepts of ego states (Parent, Adult, Child), transactions (complementary, crossed, ulterior), and games (social interactions with a hidden agenda). The excerpt examines various games, their motivations, and the roles players take on. The excerpt also delves into the concept of autonomy, a state of self-awareness, spontaneity, and intimacy, as a goal of psychotherapy. The excerpt concludes with a review of the book by author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.