Self-disclosure and self-deprecating self-reference

Conversational practices of personalization in police interviews with children reporting alleged sexual offenses

Bibliographic Data

ID3486291
AuthorsCarrie Childs (0000-0002-3205-018X, University of Derby, corresponding author), David Walsh (0000-0003-4950-6830, University of Derby), Dave Walsh
Year2017
Volume121
Pages188-201
Publication date2017-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Pragmatics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0378-2166 • E-ISSN: 1879-1387
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.pragma.2017.10.013
OpenAlexW2768075414
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited33

This article examines how police officers ostensibly reveal personal information about themselves in investigative interviews with children reporting their being victim of alleged sexual offenses. We identify two practices of personalization. First, we show how, during the opening phase of interviews, officers engage in clear, unambiguous self-disclosure and how these self-disclosures are designed to elicit expressions of affiliation from witnesses. Second, we identify instances of self-deprecating self-reference as in ‘I’m going deaf that's all’. These self-references are delivered to manage trouble responsibility in environments of repair. We show how they manage the conflicting demands of rapport building and the requirement to make interviewees feel as if they are being listened to and understood, on the one hand, and the need for effective evidence gathering, on the other. The present study extends understanding of how officers personalize the investigative interview, as recommended by best practice guidelines

Internet privacy · Personalization · Self-disclosure · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access