Metaphors in the talk of "depressed" women in psychotherapy

Variations in how we describe, explain, and treat "depression" and in who i s labeled "depressed" attest to the significance of the social-historical c ontexts in which our understandings and practices are based. A prevalent, m odern-day (Western) conception of "depression" is as a gendered (primarily female), devalued condition characterized by a discourse of the deficient s elf. In an effort to learn more about the particular forms of this discours e, the metaphors used by 10 "depressed" women to talk to their psychotherap ists about their "selves" in relation to their perceived difficulties were studied. Two broad cultural imperatives were constructed from these metapho rs: (1) Don't be too mothering and (2) Don't be too child-like. At the core of these two imperatives were messages about the importance of autonomy, f or both oneself and others. This valuing of autonomy can be clearly located at the heart of 20(th)-century Western ideals.