All human have different mind
and most of the time we can see through the body language what a person
feels. One thing that is really important for a psychologist to do is to analyze
and understand his patient. Nonverbal behavior is itself complex since everyone
is different and presenting themselves differently. He has to takes into
account many aspects like their personality, social factors, verbal behavior
and culture. Here are some aspects that a psychologist can analyze when a
patient come in his office and how you can identify them.1. Posture
First of all,
the psychologist will observe a lot of things like the physical
appearance, immediately when the patient enter his office. He will probably make
a first physical contact like shaking his hand to see how he will react. This
way, he will see if he is confident by the way he shakes his hand or if he is
nervous because he has a sweaty hand. The psychologist will start a
conversation with the patient and while listening and asking question, he will observe
his posture because it tells a lot about his feeling. If a person is sitting up
straight with his legs apart, for example, it may indicate that the patient is
focused, relax and paying attention to what's going on. On the other hand, if
he is sitting with the body hunched forward and his arms crossed on
his chest it can imply that he is bored or indifferent.
2. Eyes
Another think
that a psychologist can do is to look carefully the eyes of his patient. The
eyes are 'the mirrors of the soul'. They tell you so much that for reading body
language, eyes contact is a must. Simply sign like looking left and up may tell
that the patient is thinking about an experience and emotional feeling.
Some people associate this with lying, but liars usually look straight at you
so that they won’t be suspected of lying. Constantly looking down signals that
the patient could feel guilty, not wanting to face the person in front of him.
The pupils are another part of our body language that we practically have no
control over. It can reveal that he is interested in the person he is talking to
or the object he is looking at.
3. Facial expressions
The face has
many muscles and can make numerous facial expressions like anger, sadness,
scary, surprise, joy and distaste. It is probably easier for someone like a
psychologist to read those facial expression on a patient. For example, when a
person is angry you can notice that most of the time his teeth are showing,
with snarling lips and depressed corners of the mouth. The nose is wrinkled and
the eyes are bulging out. When he is sad the corners of his mouth would be
depressed and his lower lip will be shaking. The skin around his eyes is pulled
in and the eyes are tearing up. If he is happy his forehead is relaxed, the
corners of the mouth are curling up, sometimes showing the teeth. If someone's
laughing out loud, the mouth is open. The cheekbones are lifted. For instance,
not all facial expressions are equally easy to understand. People are generally
better at reading facial expressions that are pleasant rather than unpleasant.
For a psychologist all of this is very important to better understand the
person.
Conclusion
We all subconsciously give away hints as to our true feelings, through
our movements and gestures. Body language is not always simple to read but
for a psychologist it can be important to take the times to analyze them and
know how to read them if he want to be able to help his patient.
Glossary
Body language
- This is the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated. It is the transmission and interpretation of feelings, attitudes, and moods, through body posture, movement, physical state, position, facial expression and eye movement
Analyze
- To examine carefully and in detail someone or something and try to identify the causes, the key factors and the possible results
Attitude
- A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition
Emotion
- A strong feeling (such as love, anger, joy, hate, or fear)
Mental illness
- Any disease of the mind who can affect someone and can cause psychological emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention
Mind
- The part of a person that thinks, reasons, feels, and remembers
Observation
- A statement about something you have noticed, a comment or remark to gain information
Stimulus
- An action, or a condition that causes a physiological or psychological activity or response in an organism
Unconscious
- The part of the mind containing instincts, impulses, images, and ideas that are not available
Variables
- Something that can varies or might be change.
Référence:
L'Univers de la psychologie, 2e Édition, Samuel E. Wood, Ellen Green Wood, Denise Boyd, Francine Hétu.
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