Abstract

The dissertation examines a philosophical theory concerning the nature, process, and practice of clinical psychotherapy, as set out in volumes I and II of The Structure of Magic, by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. Chapter One offers a philosophical reconstruction of Bandler and Grinder's central theses concerning the role of language in human life, the origin and development of emotional distress, the methodology of psychotherapy, and a program of practical clinical interventions. Essential to these four theses is the use of modeling theory, adapted from recent philosophy of science, and the Transformational Grammar of Noam Chomsky. ;Chapter Two examines Bandler and Grinder's notion of "model". It finds several problems in their use of the concept, but argues that their central thesis that experience constitutes a model of the world is acceptable with some qualification. It then analyzes their thesis that language constitutes a model of the world, but finds that no version of this thesis is unproblematic: language denotes, but does not model. A recommendation is advanced that the notion of "modeling" be dropped from the account altogether. ;Chapter Three examines how Transformational Grammar contributes a pragmatically useful terminology for analysing client speech and formulating verbal psychotherapeutic interventions. It goes on to develop a philosophical account of the relation between client sentences and progress in therapy, showing how clinical problems involve an emotional component, and emotions involve a cognitive evaluational component. Bandler and Grinder's clinical program focusses on the clarification and expansion of sentences which express these evaluations as a way of affecting emotional states. This chapter does, however, underscore a sizable limitation of the use of Transformational Grammar in the context of psychotherapy: though it provides a practically useful clinical tool, it is not a psychological theory, and cannot be relied upon to explain the psychological processes which mediate experience of the world and the language which describes experience.