An Analysis of Narrative and Figurative Language within Online Alcoholism Discussion Forums
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An Analysis of Narrative and Figurative Language within Online Alcoholism Discussion Forums Emily Polander & Valerie L. Shalin
Published online: 16 February 2013 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract This study examined lay individuals’ use of narrative and figurative language for communicating biomedical and psychosocial concepts in online alcoholism discussion forums. We performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of content, narrative, and figurative language on 311 opening forum posts. Linguistic patterns indicated a distinction between narrative and figurative functions of language in communication that is sensitive to the concreteness of the content. Individuals were more likely to use narrative to convey concrete psychosocial content, and figurative language to convey abstract psychosocial content. Individuals did not use narrative or figurative language to communicate abstract, technical biomedical content. Although they belong to the biomedical model, concrete physical symptoms receive treatment in a manner more similar to concrete psychosocial content than more abstract, technical biomedical content. Our findings suggest that individuals’ use of narrative and figurative language is largely driven by the concreteness or perceptibility of the underlying content rather than the content domain. Keywords Alcoholism . Online communities . Narrative . Figurative language Individuals use language to convey their conceptual models and understanding through the construction of both narrative (Pennebaker and Seagal 1999) and figurative language (Lakoff and Johnson 1980), especially for mental illness (Kleinman 1988; Ochs and Capps 1996; Sontag 1978). This study examines lay individuals’ use of narrative and figurative language for communicating understanding of both biomedical and psychosocial concepts surrounding alcoholism in online discussion forums. Our findings suggest that individuals’ use of narrative and figurative language is largely driven by the concreteness or perceptibility of the underlying content rather than the content domain. E. Polander : V. L. Shalin Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA E. Polander (*) Department of Psychology, Wright State University, 335 Fawcett Hall, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH 45435-0001, USA e-mail: [email protected]
Int J Ment Health Addiction (2013) 11:458–473
459
Two Models of Alcoholism Lay individuals encounter both biomedical and psychosocial models of alcoholism. The biomedical concepts associated with alcoholism include damaging short and long-term effects to the liver, brain, cardiovascular system, and nervous system, among other organs and systems (Barclay et al. 2008). Biomedical information related to these concepts includes perceptible physical symptoms of alcohol abuse (e.g., jaundice) along with more abstract, imperceptible underlying human biochemistry (e.g., enzymes), and diagnostic testing (e.g., liver panels). While the medical community has made an effort to disseminate information
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