Sprachliche Charakteristika einer Psychotherapiesitzungssequenz aus der Perspektive unterschiedlicher Analysemethoden

Background
Linguistic utterances are a central medium in psychotherapy, i.e., psychotherapy essentially works through language, through talking to each other. Given the importance of linguistic exchange, it is relevant to more precisely understand the mechanisms through which language operates in psychotherapy processes. Linguistic psychotherapy research uses a variety of methods for this purpose.

Objective
This article demonstrates two microanalytical approaches as examples.

Material and methods
A transcribed psychotherapy session sequence was interpreted in terms of content from the perspective of the psychodynamic theory and assessed microanalytically in terms of linguistic features using two methods. First, the verbal techniques (focus on therapist utterances) were rated using the psychodynamic intervention list (PIL). Second, a detailed conversation analysis (focus on dialogue) was conducted.

Results
Analyses using the PIL showed that “adding new meaning” and “repeating, paraphrasing, summarizing” were the techniques most frequently used in the session sequence under examination. Thematically, the focus was on the “father”, followed by the “therapist”. The majority of the utterances thematically referred to the past. Conversation analysis reconstructs that the shift to the experiential level brings the therapy situation itself into focus. By means of sequential action constraints, extratherapeutic constellations in the past and therapeutic present are made contrastable and intersubjectively processable.

Conclusion
To observe one’s own way of speaking and the dialogue within the therapeutic process can provide revealing insights for therapists about the consequences and preconditions of their own interventions. It is worthwhile conducting research at the interdisciplinary interface of psychotherapy and linguistics.