Volume 19, Issue 2
Therapeutic Activity Coding System (TACS-1.0): Dimensions and categories of patients' and psychotherapists' communicative actions
Abstract
The Therapeutic Activity Coding System (SCAT- 1.0) is presented. This coding system was built to respond to the need to conceptualize and investigate the verbal activity of patients and therapists. At a theoretical level, the coding system is based on a notion of performative language, assuming that ""saying something is doing something."" According to this conceptual approach, the verbalizations are called Communicative Actions and they have the dual purpose of carrying information (content) and influence of others and the reality constructed by speakers (Action). The SCAT-1.0 considers both dimensions (Content and Action) of Communicative Action. The dimension of Contents includes the category Areas (of what is being discussed) and the category Reference (who is the protagonist). The dimension of Action includes the categories Basic Form, Communicative Intention and Technique. A total of 31 codes included in these 5 categories were developed using in the first instance, a discoveryoriented methodology, and then using an inter-rater reliability analysis. Good agreement indices were found. Finally, usefulness for the study of patients' and therapists' verbal communication during relevant segments of therapies of different theoretical approaches was discussed.
Keywords
communicative actions, microanalysis, psychoteherapeutic process research