[Functions of language in psychotherapy: A qualitative study of psychotherapists' subjective theories of the "talking cure"].

Psychotherapy is traditionally considered as a "talking cure". The specific functions of verbal activity, however, are disputed. The present study aims at identifying central therapeutic functions of verbal activity. In qualitative interviews n = 23 psychotherapists with psychodynamic (n = 12) or behavioral (n = 11) background were interviewed regarding their theories of the "talking cure." Based on Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) a category system of therapeutic functions of verbal activity was constructed. The participants described a wide range of relational, experiential, and behavioral functions of verbal activity in psychotherapy. Psychodynamic therapists emphasized relational and experiential functions of verbal activity, while behavioral therapists emphasized behavioral functions. The findings imply that verbal activity fulfills diverse functions in therapeutic contexts. This suggests a basic verbal materiality of many therapeutic techniques and common factors that needs to be specified in subsequent research.