The Metaphors for pain : a study of pain metaphors as communication

• When describing pain the spoken language one is used to is often inadequate. This article takes as departure this communicative problem. The datamaterial consists of semi-structured interviews with thirty-seven patients undergoing treatment for their chronic pain.The metaphor consists of two parts or domains: the domain to be described and the domain from which a description is borrowed. 145 metaphors were identified in the data material. The analysis concernedboth the domains, their relationship and the metaphor's communicative function. The results shows that different types of 'linguisticimages' were used to describe pain, and that the relationship between the two domains were of two kinds: experiential and semantic,respectively. Further, five communicative functions of the metaphorical talk were found: a comparative, structuring, contextulising,problematising and interactive, function respectively. It is argued that professional caregivers by metaphorical talk could acquire indirect access to fragment of patients' experiences of pain, create interactivity and compliance.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

pain

metaphor

communication

patient description

patient counseling

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS

TVÄRVETENSKAPLIGA FORSKNINGSOMRÅDEN

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)