Risch Andreas.pdf - Osteopathic Research

Frequent metaphoric expressions in this field were:
HEALTH AS ALLOWANCE, ACCEPTANCE, TOLERANCE, FRAMEWORK,
RESPONSIBILITY,
CONFIDENCE“.
LIMITS, RESPECT, INDIVIDUAL UNDERSTANDING,
The field of „sensing or feeling health“ was mainly dominated by the „OSP“ (Other
Sensory Perception) category followed by the categories „nature“ and „space“ with
very far reaching and philosophical metaphors such as:
HEALTH AS FEELING THAT I DON’T FEEL ANYTHING, AS PERMEABILITY, AS
THE ABILITY OF SWIMMING IN ONES OWN LIQUID, AS PEACE AND HARMONY,
AS COHERENCE, AS SOMETHING WHICH MAKES SENSE, AS FLUCTUATION,
VITALITY, DIMENSION, FULFILMENT”.
9 Discussion
Metaphor analysis originally a research method in cognitive linguistics can prove very
helpful in analyzing osteopathic concepts or conceptualizations of health. By
systematically categorizing and analyzing them according to qualitative research
methods (Schmitt, 2009, Moser, 2000, Heitmann, 2006), metaphors in spoken or
written text can offer access to understanding of abstract terms like health in
osteopathy. Conceptual metaphors are offering insights according to Lakoff and
Johnson (1980) into the supraordinate cognitive concepts which structure our way of
speaking, thinking and acting.
In order to comply with quality criteria of qualitative research the Riemann-Thomann-
Model (2003) was integrated as a method-triangulation, i.e. as a combination of the
metaphoric concepts with other research methods (Flick, 2005), beside the
quantitative and qualitative analysis in order to help categorize the metaphors (e.g.
“association”, “dissociation”, “duration” and “change” in the group of the physical body
experiences). The Riemann-Thomann-Modell (2003) should help to make
categorization of metaphors easier and more transparent. Despite being somewhat
reductionistic, it can serve as a personality model and help to explain the cognitive
concepts of the examined group of people.