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Use of metaphors in Chinese family therapy: a qualitative study
Author(s) -
Liu Liang,
Zhao Xudong,
Miller John K.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-6427
pISSN - 0163-4445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6427.2012.00582.x
Subject(s) - metaphor , nonverbal communication , psychology , spatialization , context (archaeology) , gesture , family therapy , object (grammar) , qualitative research , developmental psychology , linguistics , psychotherapist , sociology , history , anthropology , philosophy , archaeology
The use of metaphors in family therapy has been extensively written about in western literature, yet very few studies on this subject have been conducted in C hina. The goal of this study was to summarize the metaphors used by C hinese family therapists. Transcriptions from 36 hours of video‐recorded family and couple therapy sessions from eighteen C hinese family patients were qualitatively analysed to identify categories of therapist‐produced metaphors that are applicable to the C hinese context. Two major categories emerged: verbal and non‐verbal metaphors. Verbal metaphors included four subgroups: story, object comparison, sayings and age. Nonverbal metaphors involved two subgroups: gesture and spatialization. The influence of the C hinese culture on the use of metaphor is discussed. This study adds to the greater understanding of how to integrate metaphors in therapy in the C hinese context.