An analysis of the therapeutic way of words and its application to the psychotherapist training

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23530895
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Clinical psychology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: OYAMA Yasuhiro 京都大学, 教育学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (00293936)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 心理療法 / 日本文化 / 日本語での心理療法 / 言語論的分析 / コーパス / 能

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The way of words by psychotherapists was investigated in order to know their characteristics and how they work in the process of psychotherapy. The utterances of therapists in clinical situations were systematically collected and analysed not only by their contents but also by their grammatical features. It was found that the grammatical features relate with how psychic spaces or movements are created in clients’ mind as well as in the interpersonal relation.
As the therapist's utterances are produced using Japanese language in Japanese cultural context, the cultural factors are also investigated. The transformation of client-centred therapy in Japan was traced and the expressions and interactions in Noh plays are analysed as well. It was shown that the characteristics of Japanese language effects on the core features of Japanese psychotherapy, and that “the third” referred by both of clients and therapists forms a basis for interactions and changes in Japanese psychotherapy.

Free Research Field

臨床心理学