Linguistic Features Indicative of Narcissistic Personality Disorder Traits in the Film Cruella (2021): Psycholinguistic and Conversation Analysis

Ari; Taufiqrianto Dako; Sri Widyarti Ali

doi:10.55909/jpbs.v5i4.1792

Authors

Ari Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia
Taufiqrianto Dako Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia
Sri Widyarti Ali Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55909/jpbs.v5i4.1792

Keywords:

narcissistic personality disorder, film, psycholinguistic, conversation

Abstract

This study was conducted to explore and evaluate the language features of main character in the movie Cruella (2021) that are proposed to be the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). The data included thirteen purposively selected dialogue excerpts from the movie, taking into account the frequency, intensity, and representativeness of NPD-related language features across various scenes and dialogues. The main instrument was the researcher, who was assisted by a dialogue transcription sheet and an NPD trait classification table, in accordance with the DSM-5 criteria and the Campbell & Miller's (2011) grandiose narcissism framework. Systematic observation, scene-by-scene transcription, and verification of the movie with the official subtitles were the methods used to collect data. The data were analysed psycholinguistically alongside Conversation Analysis (CA), which involved open, axial, and selective coding to reveal and classify common linguistic phenomena. The results indicated that every one of the nine DSM-5 categories of NPD traits was present to some extent in Cruella's remarks and that lack of empathy, need for admiration, and grandiosity were the most frequently and strongly expressed traits. These characteristics manifested at the linguistic level in the use of self-referential pronouns, lack of mitigation strategies, dominance in turn-taking, and the use of manipulative discourse techniques such as forced-choice questions and contrastive structures. The study concludes that language use in fictional characters could be a representational indicator of personality traits and that the combined methodology of psycholinguistics and CA proves to be a fruitful method of analysing the personality in cinematic discourse.

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