So let’s say men can’t understand that much
-
Joanna Pawelczyk
Abstract
In this paper we look at three extracts of two psychotherapy sessions between a female therapist and a woman patient suffering from bulimia and depression. We use conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis to examine how gender, indexing the quality of the emotional bond between participants, is interactionally managed in view of the session’s goals.
The findings show the patient relying on gender as category-sharing to account for her actions and seek understanding. The therapist, however, tends to resist the category-sharing and engages the patient in extensive work around gender categories. Women psychotherapists should be particularly attuned to women patients’ invoking of category-sharing and critically consider its relevance and application in the situated context of therapy work.
Abstract
In this paper we look at three extracts of two psychotherapy sessions between a female therapist and a woman patient suffering from bulimia and depression. We use conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis to examine how gender, indexing the quality of the emotional bond between participants, is interactionally managed in view of the session’s goals.
The findings show the patient relying on gender as category-sharing to account for her actions and seek understanding. The therapist, however, tends to resist the category-sharing and engages the patient in extensive work around gender categories. Women psychotherapists should be particularly attuned to women patients’ invoking of category-sharing and critically consider its relevance and application in the situated context of therapy work.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Practices of relationship management in organized helping 1
- Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction 27
- Doing We – Working alliance in psychotherapeutic relationships 51
- What about you? 79
- So let’s say men can’t understand that much 105
- Relationship management by means of solution-oriented questions in German psychodiagnostic interviews 127
- The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching 151
- Working alliance and client design as discursive achievements in first sessions of executive coaching 171
- Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction 195
- Practices of relationship building in Hungarian primary care 221
- Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management 243
- How are you getting on with these? 265
- Twitter as a helping medium 287
- Relational dimensions of organized helping 315
- Index 329
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Practices of relationship management in organized helping 1
- Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction 27
- Doing We – Working alliance in psychotherapeutic relationships 51
- What about you? 79
- So let’s say men can’t understand that much 105
- Relationship management by means of solution-oriented questions in German psychodiagnostic interviews 127
- The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching 151
- Working alliance and client design as discursive achievements in first sessions of executive coaching 171
- Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction 195
- Practices of relationship building in Hungarian primary care 221
- Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management 243
- How are you getting on with these? 265
- Twitter as a helping medium 287
- Relational dimensions of organized helping 315
- Index 329
