Oral Performance, Identity, and Representation in Forensic Psychiatry

Article Figures & Data

Table 1

Main Ideas and Implications Derived From Certain Scholars

Authors	Observational Ideas	Implications
Schubert et al.⁸	Courtroom work is face-to-face interaction; a form of political behavior	Emphasis is on being persuasive and winning the debate Less important is clarification Oral testimony is observable and therefore deserves extensive study so that we learn to testify better
Johnson et al.⁹ Roberts¹⁰	Oral arguments in the Supreme Court matter	Elite decision-makers can be influenced by those presenting arguments to them Quality of the oral argument and the credibility of the presenter determine impact/influence
Maher¹¹	Notions derived from communications discipline	Develop a story for the juryPresent the story orally and visually

Table 2

A Universal List of Communicative Means Documented in Various Cultures and Used to Key Performance

Name of Technique	Explanatory Examples
Special formulae signaling performance	Conventional openings and closings
Special codes	Archaic or esoteric language reserved for the performance ritual
Figurative language	Metaphors
Special patterns of tempo, stress, pitch	Expert's manipulation of voice and technical mastery of the microphone and other electronic aids
Appeal to tradition	Reliance on images linked to psychiatry; appearance of being thoughtful, pensive

Table 3

The Five Stages of Courtroom Performance by the Expert Witness

Stage I	Entrance into the courtroom with intent to be informative and performative
Stage II	Initiating the performance: act of accrediting through introduction; establishment of credentials and experience
Stage III	Direct examination: interactive exchanges to facilitate the telling of the expert witness's story—the narrative. Use of techniques to tell the story with voice and body; use of other visual aids
Stage IV	Cross examination: the process where the expert's story will be challenged and where the expert must work calmly to buttress the story—with techniques employed in the preceding stage
Stage V	Transitioning to the end: the direct examiner seeks to underline the major points of the expert's narrative and signals to the audience that the performance is coming to a close and the curtain will fall