Understanding Addiction: A Taxonomic Analysis of Psychiatrists’ Interviews Through Talmy’s Cognitive Semantics

Abstract

This study explores how addiction is cognitively and linguistically constructed within psychiatric discourse through the lens of Leonard Talmy’s cognitive semantics, focusing on the interplay of frames, image schemas, and conceptual metaphors. By conducting a detailed clause-level analysis of interviews with two psychiatrists—Dr. Domenick Sportelli and Dr. Peter R. Breggin—this research reveals how divergent cognitive-semantic systems underpin contrasting epistemologies of addiction and psychiatric medication. Sportelli’s discourse predominantly employs medical, neurobiological, and behavioral frames, leveraging image schemas of cycle, balance, and force to depict addiction as a chronic but manageable neurobehavioral disorder. His metaphors emphasize neurochemical mechanisms and goal-directed behavior, reinforcing a clinical, rehabilitative worldview. In stark contrast, Breggin’s discourse frames psychiatric drugs through toxicological, invasive, and ethical lenses, using schemas of invasion, diminution, and pressure to portray medication as neurotoxic and disempowering. His metaphorical language invokes notions of harm, contamination, and cognitive erosion, challenging mainstream psychiatric paradigms. This semantic divergence reflects broader ideological tensions in psychiatry, highlighting how language actively constructs psychiatric realities rather than merely describing them. The study demonstrates that frames, image schemas, and metaphors are foundational cognitive tools shaping clinical understanding, therapeutic engagement, and patient identity. These findings underscore the value of cognitive semantic awareness in psychiatric education and practice, suggesting that such insight can foster empathy, reduce stigma, and promote more nuanced, person-centered care. Moreover, by bridging linguistics, psychiatry, and cognitive science, this research contributes a robust analytical framework for examining the conceptual underpinnings of psychiatric discourse and invites future exploration of patient narratives and cross-cultural perspectives within this model.