# A computational text analysis investigation of the relation between personal and linguistic agency

## TL;DR

This paper explores how people's personal sense of control influences their use of language that reflects agency.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence linking personal agency to linguistic agency across multiple datasets.

## Key findings

- Higher personal agency is associated with more agentive language in social media.
- Individuals with depression use less agentive language on Reddit.
- Personal experiences of power influence the use of agentive language.

## Abstract

Previous psycholinguistic findings showed that linguistic framing – such as the use of passive voice - influences the level of agency attributed to other people. To investigate whether passive voice use relates to people’s personal sense of agency, we conducted three studies in which we analyzed existing experimental and observational data. In Study 1 (N = 835) we show that sense of personal agency, operationalized between participants as recalling instances of having more or less power over others, affects the use of agentive language. In Study 2 (N = 2.7 M) we show that increased personal agency (operationalized as one’s social media followership) is associated with more agentive language. In Study 3 and its two replications (N = 43,140) we demonstrate using Reddit data that the language of individuals who post on the r/depression subreddit is less agentive. Together, these findings advance our understanding of the nuanced relationship between personal and linguistic agency.

People’s use of linguistic agency is indicative of their personal sense of agency. Lack of control over one’s actions, low social rank as well as depression are associated with higher use of passive voice.