The paradox of disengagement: Bodily displays of inattention in couple therapy

Abstract

Using concepts developed by Goffman and the theory of inter-corporeality, this paper describes non-speaking spouses' responses to complaints made about them by the other spouse in the context of couple therapy first consultations. While the turn-taking system of couple therapy effectively precludes the possibility of a direct verbal response, non-speaking spouses often display bodily their disengagement from their spouse's talk. Using multimodal conversation analysis as the method, we show the repertoire of such disengagement behaviors and trace the moment-by-moment contexts in which they arise. While disengagement behaviors embody their producer's inattention to their spouse's talk, at the same time, they are, paradoxically, interactional moves produced in the presence of others, conveying their producer's negative stance to the ongoing talk. We argue that the timing of these disengagement practices involves anticipation of the direction of talk: non-speaking spouses display disengagement in moments when the speaking spouse's talk takes a direction toward an intensification of complaints about them.

Discursive angles on the relationship in psychotherapy

“…For example, it has also been argued that nonverbal synchrony can be a marker of ‘well-being’ ( Nyman-Salonen et al, 2021 ) – see also Streeck (2009) for related discussions on the topic of synchrony. A recent study by Peräkylä et al (2023) has begun to address this gap by showing how non-vocal resources such as body position and gaze direction work to display engagement or disengagement, thus providing a poignant picture of the relationship quality between persons at a given moment in time. To conclude, discursive studies not only provide an important lens on the multi-faceted ways in which relationships are achieved, they also provide a complement to existing work in psychotherapy research, showing how relationship elements form an integral part of talk and work together in a synergistic fashion.…”

Strategic use of observer-perspective questions in couples therapy

“…CA-based research takes a complementary perspective and focuses on how important events in therapy unfold in “talk therapy”; how these interventions are realized and made effective. For the most part, the focus of these CA investigations in CT and FT has been on the therapeutic alliance (Muntigl and Horvath, 2016 ), therapist-client collaboration (Sutherland and Strong, 2011 ), resistance (Muntigl, 2013 ), so-called “change moments” (Couture, 2006 , 2007 ), therapeutic agendas (Gale, 1991 ), spouses claiming independence and control (Janusz et al, 2021 ), ascriptions of blame (Buttny, 1993 ; Edwards, 1995 ), client complaints (O'Reilly, 2005 ; Peräkylä et al, 2023 ), and the familial moral order (Hutchby and O'Reilly, 2010 ; Wahlström, 2016 ). A “critical methodological review” arguing for the benefits of using CA to study family therapy is given by Tseliou ( 2013 ).…”

“…. (Muntigl and Horvath, 2016), therapist-client collaboration (Sutherland and Strong, 2011), resistance (Muntigl, 2013), socalled "change moments" (Couture, 2006(Couture, , 2007, therapeutic agendas (Gale, 1991), spouses claiming independence and control (Janusz et al, 2021), ascriptions of blame (Buttny, 1993;Edwards, 1995), client complaints (O'Reilly, 2005Peräkylä et al, 2023), and the familial moral order (Hutchby and O'Reilly, 2010;Wahlström, 2016). A "critical methodological review" arguing for the benefits of using CA to study family therapy is given by Tseliou (2013).…”