THE METAPHORS OF MENTAL ILLNESS: A METAPHOR-LED DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF MENTAL HEALTH TALK IN SINGAPOREAN ONLINE FORUMS

Abstract

This thesis finds that in the threads from a Singaporean forum on Reddit, mental health discourse is primarily focused on the metaphorical frames of “MENTAL ILLNESS IS AN OPPONENT” and “MENTAL ILLNESS IS A DISEASE/INJURY”. These frames were identified via the Pragglejaz’s Group’s (2007) Metaphor Identification Procedure; and were found to embed the main thematic concerns of personal agency and concerns of shame and societal stigma. Via Cameron et al.’s (2009) Metaphor-led Discourse Analysis method, the thesis finds that forum participants enact a series of re-framing moves in service of Spencer-Oatey’s (2002) Rapport Management Theory, where forum members capitalize on sociality rights to re-frame an initiator’s (i.e. the original poster of each thread) quality face along more positive and agentive lines. This re-framing process is enacted via adapting to an initial metaphor chain, or by bringing up a new metaphor. Taken together, metaphors of mental health are collaboratively negotiated in the context of the Singaporean forum to shape how forum members conceptualize, think about, and solve mental health problems.