A Killer's Politeness: A Discourse Analysis Of Jeffrey Dahmer's Interview

Abstract

Politeness strategies are important in shaping the public impression of a personality, especially in criminal interviews. This paper applies Brown and Levinson's Politeness Theory in 1987 to evaluate how Jeffrey Dahmer (a high-profile serial killer) employed politeness strategies in an interview to shape his public image, deflect responsibility, and manipulate audience perception. The study conducts qualitative research on the interview to examine Dahmer's use of positive and negative politeness and face-threatening acts that alter discourse. Results show that Dahmer deliberately chose words that soften the perceptions of his crimes; positive politeness creates relatability and introspection while negativity strives for indirect blame avoidance. This study will contribute to media discourse analysis by demonstrating how politeness strategies interact with identity construction and perception formation in criminal interviews.