Pseudopsychiatryzacja jako strategia w dyskursie elit symbolicznych?
Pseudopsychiatrization – a strategy in the discourse of symbolic elites?

Summary/Abstract: This article addresses the issue of a categorical misuse in the form of taking metaphors from the field of psychiatry in order to describe phenomena from other domains of social life. Such linguistic practices relate to the process of medicalization, which embraces ever more domains of experience of both individuals and social groups. Based on T. van Dijk’s theoretical assumptions and analytical model, the article presents an analysis of press releases published over a six-year period in one of the leading Polish journals. The analysis includes verification of meanings, discursive strategies, and the impact and social background of chosen articles. The study’s results suggest that the pseudopsychiatrization in the discourse of symbolic elites is a strategy regulating power relations in the public sphere, and the article examines the consequences of such discursive practices in this group of senders.

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