Word Use as a Reflection of Social and Personality Processes

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Speaker
James W. Pennebaker
Psychology Department, University of Texas at Austin

When
-

Where
Newell-Simon Hall 1305 (Michael Mauldin Auditorium)

Description

The ways we express ourselves in language reveal how we think and who we are. Two converging lines of research involve the analysis of word use in natural language from formal and informal spoken and written sources. The first finds that people’s use of function words (e.g., pronouns, articles) can serve as striking markers of emotional state, honesty, dominance, and social dynamics within interactions. The second line, which relies on the factor analysis of nouns, regular verbs, and modifiers, is able to extract core dimensions of meaning from text samples. These mathematically-derived themes are, in turn, linked to the individual differences of the authors. Taken together, this research opens to ways to think about personality, identity, and language use. (See Pennebaker, Mehl, & Niederhoffer (2004); Chung & Pennebaker (in press) on my reprint website).

Speaker's Bio

James W. Pennebaker is the Bush Professor of Liberal Arts and the Departmental Chair in the Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Ph.D. in 1977. He has been on the faculty at the University of Virginia, Southern Methodist University, and, since 1997, The University of Texas. He and his students have explored the links between traumatic experiences and physical and mental health. This research has found that physician use can be reduced and work performance increased by simple writing and/or talking exercises. His most recent research focuses on the nature of language and emotion in the real world. Author or editor of 8 books and over 200 articles, Pennebaker has received numerous awards and honors.

Speaker's Website
http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Faculty/Pennebaker/Home2000/JWPhome.htm

Host
Robert Kraut