A Microanalytic Method for Exploring Adolescent Emotional Expression

Abstract

This article presents a newly constructed observational coding system which assesses emotional expression operationalized through voice cues and speech content. In order to explore its interrater reliability and validity, the coding system is applied to clinical interviews of two groups of young people: psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents and high school students. The subjects are participants in a longitudinal project examining ego development and familial interactions from early adolescence through the later adolescent years. Specific findings demonstrated the differential effects of psychiatric status and gender on emotional expression. Moreover, adolescents'emotion scores were significantly associated with a theoretically related, independent measure-ego development. These findings lend initial supportfor the validity of this coding method. Future directions of the study are also discussed.