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Abstract

This research analyses how the 1991 testimony of Betty Broderick makes relevant psychological themes in discourse as a way of negotiating notions of blame, accountability and stake within the narrative events surrounding the crime. This research utilised the methods of Conversation Analysis to transcribe the selected sections of the testimony and the approach of Discursive Psychology to outline the significance of psychological phenomena within the forensic setting of the courtroom discourse. It is identified that psychological processes involving memory, identity and agency are recurrently accessed and have an inherent effect on the way realities constructed within the discourse. Through methods of Discursive Psychology, the psychological themes within Broderick’s discourse are evaluated in terms of the potential social motivations within a legal environment that they afford. Overall, it is evidenced that psychological themes are interconnectable to the social practice that Broderick is a part of, and thus uphold DP’s relativist stance that language is an adaptable resource, which facilitates the creation of self-serving realities.

Course: English Language and Linguistics - BA - C2742S

Date Deposited: 2022-08-01

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13953.html