This pilot study analyzed the actual language used in two writing samples by university students (8 men, 28 women) about a tragic public incident, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. To analyze samples a computer-based text-analysis program with a wide range of psychological dimensions and linguistic variables was used. More words and more past tense verbs were used right after the incident. Words related to religion, family, and home increased dramatically right after the incident.
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