The Measurement of Psychological States Through the Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior

The Measurement of Psychological States Through the Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior by Louis A. Gottschalk, M.D., and Goldine C. Gleser, Ph.D., presents a groundbreaking fusion of psychodynamic theory, psychometric methodology, and statistical analysis to advance the scientific study of human behavior. Drawing upon psychoanalytic insights-such as the perception of hidden meanings, the recognition of significant sequences, and the analysis of intrapsychic and interpersonal forces-the authors develop categories of thematic content for the systematic study of verbal expression. These categories are then quantified through probabilistic scales, translating qualitative insights into rigorous, measurable data. By combining modern experimental design with statistical inference, the book demonstrates how probability theory and psychodynamic formulation can work in dialogue, each refining and checking the assumptions of the other. The result is a sophisticated and creative model for understanding psychological states with precision and empirical rigor.

Gottschalk and Gleser emphasize the broad potential of content analysis for investigating both interindividual and intraindividual processes, offering tools that can capture the sequential interplay of emotions even within the span of a single psychotherapy session. Their methods extend beyond psychological assessment, showing promise in exploring connections between immediate emotional states and physiological or biochemical functioning, thus bridging psychiatry, psychology, and medicine. At its core, the book argues convincingly that even a brief verbal sample-five minutes of speech-can yield rich and reliable evidence of underlying psychological states. By demonstrating how targeted, empirically validated techniques can illuminate some of psychiatry's most pressing questions, this volume establishes itself as a major contribution to both clinical practice and the broader scientific understanding of human behavior.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1969.