SUMMARY:
Discourse analysis is more about how things are said rather than what is said. As Sam described it, the technique is performed by considering “the way in which [words] are used (tone, intonation, accent) and when they are used.” Body language, facial expressions, emotions and verbal specifics are an integral part of discourse analysis.
This week a great variety of topics has been discussed; palliative care and end-of-life decision making, patient autonomy, drug prescription, special care for patients with dementia or acute delirium, differences in the perception of sex, ideas of motherhood during postpartum depression, online gaming addiction, or expressed emotions among maltreated children.
Many studies suggest that depending on body language, facial expressions or words used by patients, physicians tend to interpret their patients’ wishes differently. Furthermore, discourse analysis can be interpreted on a micro-, meso- or macro-level. Well summarised by Marina, micro-level studies focus on language, while meso-level studies try to emphasise connections with broader social and cultural contexts. Macro-level studies combine the study of language and the ideology in society.
However, we also discovered the limitations and the negative aspects of discourse analysis. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish an objective study from one that is heavily influenced by the author’s opinion.
