Verbal Behavior and Personality Assessmentalways used as the object of a verb and is, therefore, the recipient
rather than the initiator of action. Investigations of both normal and
deviant speakers have shown that me is used significantly more by
individuals who are thought of as having passive tendencies, that is,
small children, elderly people, women, and depressive and compul-
sive patients (Weintraub 1981, 103—6).
- Domineering behavior. Verbosity, the use of many connectives
(qualifiers, retractors, and explainers), and interruptions best charac-
terize domineering conversational behavior. When domineering
behavior becomes intimidating, commands and obscenities may
appear in the speaker's verbal behavior. Of the post-World War II
presidents, Lyndon Johnson was the most domineering in his verbal
behavior. - Creativity. How can we measure verbal creativity? According
to Richard Ohmann (1967), there are three ways in which creativity
can be expressed in language. A writer or speaker can create new
words; can make new syntactic associations, that is, put words
together in novel ways; and can express himself or herself in original
metaphors. The most common way most creative speakers use any or
all of these devices is through wit.
Does verbal creativity reflect other forms of creativity, or is it sim-
ply a characteristic of people with a natural facility for writing or
speaking? Although some association between verbal creativity and
other forms of originality seems likely, little systematic research on
the subject has been carried out. - Familiar behavior. The verbal manifestations of familiar
behavior include the use of first names, a favorite device of Ronald
Reagan (Weintraub 1989, 174-75), comments about the inter-
viewer's personal life, and allusions to events or persons conceivably
known to the interviewee but not through shared experiences with
the interviewer. These verbal mannerisms may be reflected in a high
direct references score. Familiar individuals frequently use teasing
and clowning in their relationships with others, a tactic many listen-
ers find embarrassing and inappropriate. Lyndon Johnson was the
most familiar of the post—World War II presidents (Weintraub
1989, 144). - Resilience. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from
misfortune. This characteristic can be assessed by measuring the