Family conversation: description and interpretation

This research focused on the analysis of a small segment (1 minute and 8 seconds) of conversation that occurred during a family therapy session. The participants were a mother, daughter, son, and the therapist. Through repeated listening and transcribing, a detailed transcript of the segment was first constructed. The conversational features within the transcript included the interruptions, pauses, overlaps, inflections, and turn shapes as structured by the participants. A sequential analysis of the conversation was rendered by describing the occurrence of the conversational features as well as interpreting the meanings of those features. The potential utility of conversation analysis to developing family theory and improving family therapy is also examined, as well as the limitations of the approach.