Linguistic relativity in psychotherapy

Abstract

It is postulated that language as an instrument for exploration of experience in psychotherapy can become therapeutic when words with regard to their meaning are used tentatively. Such tentative use of words is likely to invalidate language-bound defenses. In connection with theoretical speculation regarding nonverbal and verbal systems of thought and early language development, the concept of “linguistic fixation” as a universal human, not only neurotic, epiphenomenon of language acquisition is postulated. Support for the existence of such a fixation is found in the phenomena of bilingualism and linguistic relativity. In linguistic fixation, too, the concept of tentativeness can be applied to language and is likely to bring about facilitation of exploration of experiential data and awareness of feelings. Such linguistic flexibility seems most likely to occur when anxiety is decreased and when a word for tentative is available in a language.