Positioning Shifts From Told Self to Performative Self in Psychotherapy

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Positioning Theory distinguishes between representational (told self) and performative (enacted self) levels of interaction.
• Psychotherapists uniquely focus on the performative self, which is non-propositional and enacted.
• Clients' narratives often emphasize identity claims, while therapists explore feelings and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how psychotherapists shift focus from clients' told self to their performative self in psychodynamic therapy.
• To investigate the methods therapists use to topicalize the performative self.
• To understand the function of this shift in promoting client self-exploration and therapeutic insight.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of video recordings from 25 sessions each of three psychodynamic therapies (tiefenpsychologisch fundierte Psychotherapie).
• Detailed examination of five extracts illustrating therapists' shifts from representational to performative self positioning.
• Qualitative analysis of therapist-client interactions based on Positioning Theory.

Main Results:

• Therapists prioritize clients' feelings, motives, and behavior over identity claims.
• Therapists demonstrate empathy and confirm client narratives before shifting to the performative self.
• Shifts to the performative self are grounded in observable client behavior.
• Therapists use these shifts to encourage self-exploration, sometimes by attributing unacknowledged motives or feelings.

Conclusions:

• Therapists' strategic shifts in positioning facilitate the exploration of the client's enacted self.
• This technique serves a preparatory function for generating therapeutic insights.
• Understanding these interactional dynamics enhances psychotherapeutic practice.