Psychological Narrative Analysis

Book excerpt: During the author's 25 years as a police officer and FBI special agent, he witnessed countless lies told for a variety of reasons in every imaginable circumstance from petty criminals to sophisticated international spies, each with differing levels of ability to lie convincingly. This led to groundbreaking research examining the grammatical differences between truthful and deceptive narratives and the development of organized word and grammar patterns. This robust Psychological Narrative Analysis (PNA) system tests truthfulness in both written and oral communications and provides clues to the communication styles and behavioral characteristics of others. PNA techniques identify specific words, speech patterns, and grammar structures that reveal clues to a person's personality, which helps evaluate the veracity of what they say. The first part of the book presents a full range of PNA techniques in concise, everyday language, including word clues, human communication and deception, lying by obfuscation, lying by omission, the micro-action interview, and testing for deception. Examples accompany each technique where applicable. The second part offers examples of PNA using oral and written communications taken from actual cases or real-life situations. Substantial appendices review the PNA of written and oral communications, along with practice statements for the reader, followed by a PNA of those exercises.