Metaphorization as a Tool for the Practicing Psychologist
Some time ago, a colleague and I went into a shop selling souvenirs and all sorts of little things. The purpose was simple: a holiday was coming up, and we were looking for gifts for our loved ones. Having chosen the souvenirs, we went to the checkout… And that was where the small incident occurred that finally convinced me that this article was worth writing and that psychologists are specialists of a rather unique kind. I was just about to write “unique people,” but caught myself: all people are unique. Yet among professionals (whether deservedly or not, and for what reasons, I will not discuss here—that is a topic for another article), psychologists perhaps really do have a distinctive way of looking at the world. Namely, it seems to me that intuitively, sometimes without any conscious desire or intention, almost subconsciously, we view the world around us as a source of new creative techniques, approaches, and, finally, objects that can help us solve professional tasks.
So what happened at the checkout?..
Some time ago, a mother and her son came for a career guidance consultation. The son was 14 years old and had spent most of his life playing football professionally, with a football club well known in Russia. While I ask about the facts of his life, his interests, academic progress, and achievements, both mother and son are extremely sparing with words. He answers in short sentences, strictly to the point; and she — whenever I ask whether she has anything to add — nods toward her son and says something like, “Perhaps he should tell you himself...”