Theoretical foundations 

VERBAL TREATS are understood here as units of interaction exchanged by interlocutors and lasting not more than 2-4 minutes. 

They are derived from Erich Berne’s notion of strokes referring to simplest units of interpersonal transactions (which take place when, for example, people exchange ‘Hello’ or ‘Nice to see you’ when seeing each other). Verbal treats differ from strokes on four levels:

 

  • their STATUS
Person choosing color palettes for interior design projects, emphasizing creative choices.

verbal treats are OPTIONAL (as opposed to strokes, which are more obligatory). When a person delivers a verbal treat, you can, but you do not have to, present yours in return

  • their PRESENCE
windmill, pinwheels, wind power, wind energy, heaven, electricity, energy, wind turbine, power generation, environment, nature, clouds, environmental protection, environmental pollution, air pollution, forest trees, giants, visible

verbal treats are EXPLICIT (as opposed to implicit strokes). They are often preceded by introductory sentences such as “I’ll tell you a story” or “I’ve heard a very nice joke recently”

  • their LENGTH
Close-up of a transparent hourglass with pink sand flowing, placed on a newspaper background.

solid verbal treats take MINUTES (as opposed to strokes lasting seconds). As a result, they are paid lots of attention to as they are not automatic but, instead, they are subject to attention

  • their BOUNDARIES
Eyeglasses resting on a table in front of a motivational quote sign, emphasizing positivity.

the frames of verbal treats are more STRUCTURAL (as opposed to the functional/ semantic boundaries of strokes). They take the form of entire texts with complete sentences

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