A micro-analysis of the assimilation process in the linguistic therapy of evaluation

Abstract

This paper reports a qualitative micro-analysis of the assimilation process in 18 events drawn from six patients treated in the linguistic therapy of evaluation. Each event began with a problematic situation introduced by the patient and ended with a marker showing either non-resolution or resolution of the problematic situation. These events all represented a common therapeutic task: The orders of abstraction technique, one of the main techniques of the linguistic therapy of evaluation. The non-resolved and resolved events tended to represent different levels on the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES). The non-resolved events tended to be associated with low APES levels, whereas the resolved events tended to include higher APES levels. The process of assimilation showed a sawtoothed pattern characteristic of directive therapies. To illustrate the process of assimilation, qualitative data—passages, excerpted from one patient, Silvia—are shown. The results are discussed in terms of the assimilation model and the balance metaphor.