Literal and Metaphorical Cross-Domain Mappings: How They are Used and Responded to in Psychotherapy

Cross-domain mapping (CDM) is the cognitive structure that connects entities, elements, or attributes in two different conceptual domains. In existing cognitive linguistic literature, CDMs were mainly examined in metaphorical expressions; little attention has been paid to literal language. This paper explores literal and metaphorical CDMs in seven psychotherapeutic sessions. In the sessions, transference, a psychological process in which current life situations are subconsciously understood in terms of significant past experiences, is interpreted by highlighting the similarities between two experiences with either literal or metaphorical CDMs. This study compares the contextual features and conversational dynamics of literal and metaphorical CDMs based on transcripts of the sessions. Results showed that literal and metaphorical CDMs were used by the therapist at similar rates, but the client produced more metaphorical CDMs than literal ones in self-reflection. The therapist’s metaphorical CDMs, compared to literal ones, were more actively responded to and less likely rejected by the client. Outbursts of metaphorical CDMs in client language and an increase in developmental responses to the therapist’s metaphorical CDMs were associated with positive therapeutic progress, whereas no obvious association between literal CDMs and therapeutic progress was found.