Abstract
On the assumption that word choices are determined by psychological as well as linguistic constraints, transcripts of 62 interviews with women at risk for cervical cancer were examined by computer for the frequencies of usage of hope- and hopeless-connotative words. Word usage rates differed for cases of differing cancer status (as established by subsequent cone biopsy results) and this “lexical leakage” was more pronounced in patients who were openly concerned about the risk of cancer than in those who were strongly defended against the possibility of cancer. Similar trends were found for the interviewer's speech. The results are discussed with respect to the role of mental state in the etiology of disease, the interaction of lexical leakage with defense, and the coordination of patient and doctor speech in clinical interviews.
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