A common diagnostic method of interviewing in psychology is a conversation that allows you to get information about the motives of behavior, to identify the necessary character traits, especially the subjective world of the person. As an independent method, conversation is intensively used in advisory, diagnostic and psychocorrectional psychology.
Conversation in psychology is a means of collecting data, as well as a tool for persuasion, information, education. It is used in the medical, legal, political, age-related branches of psychology.
Conversation conditions
The qualified use of conversation in psychology is the use of fundamental knowledge, communication skills, and the competence of a practical psychologist as a specialist. Questions should be correctly asked and formulated, have a logical relationship with each other. But the main condition of the method is the respondent's confidence in the researcher.
The conversation in psychology should take place according to a pre-built plan, be based on mutual trust, have the form of a dialogue, not an interrogation, exclude suggestion or a hint suggested as a question. Conversation in psychology is a question-answer method of communication between a researcher and a test subject in a free form on a certain topic.
An important condition for the method of conversation in psychology is respect for confidentiality, ethical standards, and respect for the interlocutor. Ancillary actions are provided by questionnaires to verify the accuracy of the data and record the conversation on the recorder.
The method of conversation is associated with external and internal observation, which involves obtaining non-verbal information and comparing it with verbal information: assessing the subject’s attitude to the researcher, subject of conversation, setting, sincerity and responsibility of the individual.
Types of conversation
Types of conversation in psychology are divided into the following:
- individual;
- group - several subjects take part in the conversation;
- structured or formalized;
- standardized - increasing the ease of processing information, but reducing the degree of knowledge: incomplete information is not excluded;
- non-standardized - it takes place at ease, prepared questions are posed according to the circumstances of the conversation, which increases the complexity of data processing;
- organizational: by the method of conducting - at the place of work, residence, in the office of the psychologist.
On the initiative, the following types of conversations are distinguished:
- managed - occurs on the initiative of a psychologist who supports the topic of conversation. Disproportionality of the initiative can create the respondent’s closeness, simplification of answers to monosyllables;
- uncontrollable - arises at the initiative of the defendant and can take the form of confession, and the psychologist collects the necessary information for the intended purposes, using the ability to listen.
Conversation structure
The stages of the conversation are not strictly limited, each of them can gradually move to the next or be planned:
- Introductory part. It plays a role in creating an atmosphere of conversation and creating the appropriate mood for the interlocutor. It is required to indicate the importance of the respondent's participation in the conversation, to arouse his interest, and to inform about the goals of the results. In addition, you need to indicate the time of testing, whether the survey will be the only one with this person, mention the guarantee of confidentiality.
- Second phase. The designation of questions causing the maximum free speech of the interlocutor on a given topic.
- The third stage. His task becomes a detailed study of the problems discussed by the way of moving from general to specific issues. The most difficult and active stage is the culmination of the conversation, in which the psychologist must listen, observe, ask questions, supporting the conversation in the right direction.
- The final stage. Attempts are made to ease the tension, an expression of gratitude for participation.
Atmosphere creation
Liberation of the interlocutor has an important role: in an atmosphere of sincerity, it becomes possible to obtain the most accurate information. The researcher must exclude circumstances that provoke the test's insincerity, such as fear of appearing incompetent, prohibition of mentioning third parties, frankness in the intimate aspects of the question, misunderstanding of the purpose of the conversation, fear of incorrect conclusions.
The course of the conversation is formed at the very beginning, so the researcher needs to show genuine interest in the personality of the subject, his opinions, but to avoid open consent or denial of the point of view. The attitude to the topic of conversation can be expressed with facial expressions, gestures, intonation, posing additional questions, comments of a specific kind.
Perception of the interlocutor
Perception is of two types: organizational allows you to correctly perceive the interlocutor’s speech, emotional, empathic is characterized by penetration.
Researchers' remarks can be considered questions, although they are not posed in this form, and the respondent's questions are considered answers, regardless of subjective perception.
The psychologist should keep in mind that some remarks, implying a certain attitude towards the interlocutor, can affect the course of the conversation until it is completely terminated.
Undesirable remarks with a touch of condemnation, praise, orders, threats, warnings, moralizing, humiliating oneself, avoiding a problem, direct advice. Such phrases disrupt the natural course of the respondent’s reasoning and can cause a reaction of defense, irritation. The psychologist’s task is to direct the conversation in a direction consistent with the goals.
Types of Hearing
Hearing is divided into the following types:
- Reflective: its essence is to form a conversation with the help of an active speech intervention of a psychologist in the process of communication. The main techniques: clarification, paraphrasing, reflection of feelings, summing up.
- Non-reflexive listening: the psychologist controls the conversation non-verbally: facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, choice of distance. The technique is useful in cases: the expression of the respondent’s own point of view, he needs to speak out, the interlocutor finds it difficult to solve painful problems, experiences uncertainty.
Conversation in Psychology: Advantages and Disadvantages
The advantage of the method of conversation is the prerequisites for the correct understanding of questions, taking into account the oral, more relaxed form of answers.
The disadvantages of conversation in psychology are:
- large time costs, which is of particular importance in mass surveys;
- the need for high professional skills for an effective conversation;
- the possibility of impaired objectivity by the researcher, depending on his personality, professional skills and experience.
Combination of methods
The conversation is successfully used as part of the main method, for example, polling, observation, testing, experiment. The combination of methods of psychology - conversation, experiment, survey, observation - provides comprehensive information that characterizes the personality being studied.
An experiment in psychology is a study in a given environment with the help of an indirect intervention of a researcher. You can simulate an artificial situation, circumstances in which the subject will prove to be characteristic of him.
The effectiveness of the conversation reflects an indicator of the general culture of the specialist and depends both on attention to words and on the ability to receive non-verbal information. The content of both types of information allows you to correctly interpret the data and improve the reliability of the results. A successfully organized conversation is the guarantor of the accuracy of the information received.