On Being Categorized in the Speech of Others

Gilbert, Margaret P.

On Being Categorized in the Speech of Others

ON BEING CATEGORIZED IN THE SPEECH OF OTHERS. IN LIFE SENTENCES: ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL ROLE OF LANGUAGE, R. Harreed, ed., New York: Wiley, 1976

Posted: 14 Dec 2007

See all articles by Margaret P. Gilbert

Margaret P. Gilbert

University of California, Irvine

Date Written: December 12, 2007

Abstract

Some psychologists argue that in general we self-ascribe characteristics according to others' perceived reactions to us. In illustration michael argyle cites a case involving the self-Ascription of popularity. But popularity is what I here call a 'reaction-Determined characteristic, That is, A characteristic such that certain others' reacting to someone in a certain way is logically sufficient for his having it. The general import of cases involving such characteristics needs careful examination and I argue that in fact argyle's case does not support the general thesis in question. I conclude that 'ordinary language' analysis is important for the evaluation of psychological data.

Keywords: Ordinary Language, Psychology, Science

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Gilbert, Margaret P., On Being Categorized in the Speech of Others (December 12, 2007). ON BEING CATEGORIZED IN THE SPEECH OF OTHERS. IN LIFE SENTENCES: ASPECTS OF THE SOCIAL ROLE OF LANGUAGE, R. Harreed, ed., New York: Wiley, 1976 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1071061