A Behavioural Analysis of Figurative Language in Psychotherapy: One Session in a Single Case-Study

In an attempt to examine the frequency of occurrence and significance of figurative language in spoken discourse, a line-by-line analysis of such language in a single session of psychotherapy was performed. Results of such an analysis showed that for this particular case, figurative language occurred at a rate of between 3 and 6 figures per 100 words of text, and that novel, as opposed to frozen, figures tended to occur in extended bursts. These bursts were shown to relate to other aspects of the therapeutic process, particularly those involving patient problem-setting and problem-solving. In general, novel figurative language was seen to be a method whereby intimate personal qualities and problems could be talked about in a non-intrusive and therapeutically helpful manner.