Metaphors In Psychological Counseling: From Theoretical Understanding To Practical Application

This study deals with metaphor in psychological counseling. This paperintroduces the subject of the study first by thoroughly reviewing the publicationabout metaphor based on the academic background of metaphor before giving adefinitive explanation to metaphor.And based on the discussion on the connection of metaphor and counseling,and theories and practice required by counseling practice, this part elucidates thesubtle meaning of metaphor and highlights the importance of metaphor topsychological counseling. Further, this paper deals with metaphormulti-displinarily. Metaphor is expounded from the perspective of language andlogics, psychology and micro-social process, social and cultural differences andtheoretical thinking.The focus of this research is metaphor in theories and practice ofpsychological counseling. Firstly, the genealogy, expression, understanding,comprehension, interpretation and transfer of metaphor are investigated.Secondly, existing theories in counseling and new theory construction incounseling is reviewed from the perspective of authors, readers, texts andcontexts to study the developing schema of the metaphor factors in theoreticalinterpretation. At last, from the perspective of counseling practice, the aspects offormal structure, interaction, intervention and effect evaluation of the attachedcase is elucidated and foregrounds the permeability and importance of metaphorin counseling practice and enhances understanding metaphor in psychologicalcounseling.While dealing with the connection among counseling, culture differencesand metaphor, mechanisms of metaphor in different cultures are scrutinized withthe purpose of demonstrating that culture difference impacts metaphorinterpreting. In one case study where culture difference causes psychologicalproblems is given to illustrate that counseling, culture difference and metaphorinteract and influence each other and the interaction shall be taken with greatcare in counseling.This paper concludes with a summary of difficulties and thinkingencountered with the hope to further improve this research.