Positive Politeness Strategies in Podcast Interactions with Individuals Experiencing Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Pragmatic Study

Abstract

Positive politeness is a strategy used by speakers to maintain the hearer’s positive face by avoiding face-threatening acts, while simultaneously preserving positive face and building good rapport by delivering utterances to the hearer. This research is grounded in the theory of positive politeness by Brown and Stephen C. Levinson (1978). This research primarily analyzes the use of positive politeness strategies and their functions in conversation, particularly in the context of sensitive topics discussed by both the host and the guest speaker on the podcast. The source of data was collected from a YouTube podcast video, “I Have Dissociative Identity Disorder” by the MedCircle channel. This YouTube video brings up the topic of dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). DID is recognized as one of the rarest mental disorder spectrums that people could suffer, it creates another identity/personality called ‘alter’ which lives in one human body. The qualitative method through discourse analysis is used for this research to investigate the data entirely. The findings revealed that 134 instances of positive politeness strategies were identified by the host, the guest speaker, and the guest speaker's alternate identity. The most frequent employed strategies are presuppose/assert/raise common ground (75 data), then, the least frequent use of strategy are assert or presuppose S’s knowledge of and concern for H’s wants (1 data), and give (or ask for) reason (1 data) and also there are four strategies are not used by both of them, they are use in-group identity marker, offer, promise, be optimistic, and assume or assert reciprocity. Based on the findings, it shows that many utterances often make assumptions of the similarities, exaggerating words to show interest or approval, and finding a way to reach an agreement on something.