How therapists and clients use extreme statements in their talk to provoke a more balanced response.

What is it about?

Using discourse analysis to study family therapy it is apparent that at times both clients and therapists use very extreme terms in their conversation. The use of these extreme formulations is examined for their rhetorical function.

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Photo by Rachel C on Unsplash

Photo by Rachel C on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Not very much has been written about extreme case formulations, so this valuable piece of research extends our knowledge of the ways in which certain institutional business can be accomplished by the deliberate use of idiomatic expressions that are clearly 'not to be taken literally'.