by BigBallinStalin on Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:32 pm
I'm no expert, but I do practice this for fun and to improve communication. You're probably joking, but if not, then okay, and if so, then someone will find the following useful:
(1) A single nonverbal act does not have only one meaning.
For example, someone placing his hands on his hips (i.e. arms akimbo) could also mean that they are "confronting" a mental puzzle, but are not confronting a person near them.
It could also be a way of "securing" one's self, i.e. to reassure one's self, or make one's self feel calmer. If this is the case, you have to look for what caused the need for him to secure/assert himself.
The stance could be defensive or aggressive too.
(2) In order to estimate the accuracy of your guesses, you have to know the baseline of the person's behavior (verbal and nonverbal).
In other words, you have to run more trials and observe the reactions to overcome sample bias.
People tend to act in set patterns which can be induced in set situations (i.e. experiments).
And be discreet; otherwise, the experiment will be distorted.
Conclusion:
So, the assessment in your first paragraph could be completely incorrect.
Your second paragraph could be incorrect, and no offense but it could be wishful thinking on your part.
I could delve into pseudo-psychiatry and weave in your experience in jail, the forever missed opportunity (or regrettable experience), and at the office it's sudden "reappearance" which you have mentally constructed, but I won't do that.
