The meaning of a song arises, on the one hand, from the situation in which it is expreienced. Apart from that, however, it carries an interpersonal development in its form and content, which can become more meaningful than the situation personally experienced. Above all, songs are present throughout a person’s life; they can shape and lend depth to all stages of life. Therefore, a conversation about a song can reveal the story of a lifelong relationship. The “liedinterview” can encourage a reflective consideration of this relationship, convey insights about the present state of a person and thus even become a new experience of the song.
In this sense, songs are not debilitating, instead, the way we approach and understand them and incorporate them in our social environment defines their beneficial aspect. The “liedinterview” allows the therapeutic use of this resource.
This analysis is based on an interview study of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Hospital of Tübingen and explains the theoretical background, concepts and the diagnostic and therapeutic usefulness of the “liedinterview”.