METAPHOR IN PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH BORDERLINE AND NON-BORDERLINE CLIENTS - A QUALITATIVE-ANALYSIS

While the question of client individual differences in metaphor use ha s been discussed in the case study literature, very fay empirical stud ies have addressed this issue, particularly as manifested in the thera peutic situation. In order to address this gap the present study under took an intensive, qualitative analysis of both Borderline and non-Bor derline client's and therapist's experiences of metaphoric expression in a single psychotherapy session. The sample for this study consisted of a single therapy session and postsession, open-ended interviews co nducted with 2 therapists and 4 clients (2 Borderline; 2 non-Borderlin e) who were actively engaged in psychoanalytically-oriented, long-term psychotherapy. Three major subcategories: (i) metaphors illuminate cl inical issues, (ii) metaphor functions to depict clients' self and obj ect relationships, and (iii) therapist metaphor stimulates an intensif ication of client experiential engagement in the therapy hour emerged from the intensive analyses of the Inquiry interview transcripts. Patt erns differentiating the Borderline and non-Borderline dyads in relati on to metaphor use were discussed in the context of the two core categ ories-the Representation Mode of Interaction and the Literal Mode of I nteraction-which emerged from the qualitative analysis of the Inquiry and therapy session transcripts.