ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Billig’s approach to discourse known as rhetorical psychology. The method is foundational and revolutionary in the sense that it does not provide a toolkit for analysis but puts forth the argumentative nature of thought and the pervasiveness of ideological dilemmas, both of which come across in interpersonal communication. Billig also relies heavily on discourse analysis, especially politeness principles, and attempts to link it to the practice of repression, proposing that Freudian notions should be seen dialogically and psycho-dynamically. His concepts have wide applicability not just in psychology, but in discourse studies too.
