Linguistic Representation of a Macroenvironment Under Three Communication Conditions

Abstract

Two experiments were undertaken to evaluate the significance of the "audience" factor in students' representations of their university environment. Reliable differences were found in students' written descriptions for "self," "intimate-other," and "distant other." These differences, in terms of scoring categories related to the concept of "inner" versus "external" speech, point to the necessity of considering the role of "audience" in studies of the representation of the I macroenvironment. Explored are some implications of these different forms of I environmental representation for an understanding of the individual's experience I of the environment.