Theorie und Praxis der Analyse Therapeutischer Kommunikation

Abstract

This paper gives a short introduction into research on talk and interaction in psychotherapy from aconversation analytic (CA) perspective. It sketches the most important areas of research and the basicmethodological considerations which guide CA studies. As an example for CA work on psychotherapy, Ireport findings from my own study on therapists' use of questions. It is shown that second turn-questionswhich expand on a patient's narrative are used as devices which are designed to elicit the patient's reflectionon his/her prior own statements and stories. In this way, they are maieutic devices, which induce the patientto extend or to re-interpret his/her story and to glean a psychologically relevant interpretation from thestory. In their pursuit of engendering the patient's own interpretation of his/her story, therapists actaccording to an order of preference of reactions to patients' narratives: The first option is to producecontinuers, followed by silence and questions. Only if these devices did not work as to elicit interpretationsfrom the patient's side which the therapist regards as advancing the therapeutic agenda, therapists start toformulate interpretations by themselves. This order of preferential reactions reflects a preference forself-interpretation by the patient, which is supported by maieutic questioning.