The Psychology of Interviewing: Psychological techniques for revealing authentic narratives

This study explores interviewing as not merely a journalistic tool but a complex psychological interaction shaped by trust, empathy, and ethical responsibility. Drawing upon more than one thousand interviews conducted across diverse sociocultural and political contexts, the article systematizes key techniques that contribute to uncovering authentic narratives. The research applies a qualitative, autoethnographic methodology, supported by thematic coding of transcripts and field observations. The findings identify a set of effective practices, including active listening, strategic use of silence, open-ended questioning, interviewer’s emotional self-regulation, trauma-informed approaches, overcoming impression-management strategies of public figures, and adherence to ethical standards. These techniques are not universal, but they demonstrate consistent patterns in facilitating disclosure, structuring narratives, and reducing communication barriers. The discussion relates these findings to existing psychological theories, including Rogers’ empathic listening, Goffman’s self-presentation, and trauma-informed frameworks, while emphasizing the ethical dimension of journalism as a resource for building trust and safeguarding informants. The study contributes to bridging journalism and psychology, offering both practitioners and researchers insights into the integration of psychological approaches into journalistic practice.