Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic indications of behavior disorders: analysis of a prisoner's discourse

Human verbal language communicates both manifest and latent messages concerning the speaker's world and behavior. To understand his world and analyze his problems,(1) it is important to decode the latent messages as they may hint at the root causes. The authors present a discourse analysis of a prisoner's text and a semantic and morphological analysis of it. This text reflects contempt for the law and its representatives, together with a weak attachment to legitimate society, neutralization of personal responsibility, denial of guilt, and low self-esteem. Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic analysis points toward a more profound evaluation of the perceptions and world of the speaker. It seems that he yearns for attachment, for understanding and social acceptance, and perhaps even to abandon crime. The prisoner's latent feelings of helplessness and fear of humiliation may help the therapist establish a therapeutic relationship and help him change his perceptions and behavior.