Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
22
AzyBarak,OrnaBoneh,andMichalDolev-Cohen
UndergoingthePsychologicalImpactofWriting
Formanypeople,writingconstitutesacurativeexperience.Writingallows
themtosortof“talktothemselves”,torethink,reflect,arrangethoughtsandfeel-
ings.Itallowsexpressionandventilationoffeelingsandexperiences,even
threateningones,becauseofanonymity,invisibility,andlackofeye-contactwith
others(Suler,2004).Asynchronouswriting,asopposedtosynchronouschats,
hasthespecialadvantageofallowingsharingwhenithurtsandwhenitisneed-
ed,andnotwhensomeoneisavailabletolisten.Writingalsoallowsstoringand
archivingforlaterreading(orotheruses).Asempiricaltherapeutically-related
researchhasconsistentlyfound,writinghascuringvirtueswithoutthepresence
ofatherapist(e.g.,Pennebaker,1997;Pennebaker&Seagal,1999;Pitts,2004;
Wright,2002;Wright&Chung,2001).Thus,Shaw,Hawkins,McTavish,Pin-
gree,andGustafson(2006)providedevidenceforthepositiveimpactofdisclo-
surewritinginanonlinesupportgroupmeanttosupplyemotionalrelieftobreast
cancerpatients.
ProvidingandReceivingEmotionalSupport
Peopleindistressbecomeempoweredandgainmoreconfidencewhenthey
areemotionallysupported.Emotionalsupportmaytakevariousforms,fromen-
couraging,complimenting,andconvincingpeopleofhopetosendingvirtual
hugsandexpressionsofloveandfriendship.Participantsmayberelievedbythe
verylegitimacyofexpressingdifficultemotions–fromdespairanddepression
tothoughtsofself-injuryorevensuicide–perhapsthroughthedynamicsofca-
tharsiswhentheyreceivesupportmessages(Bakardjieva,2003;Lieberman&
Goldstein,2006).
Moreover,manypeoplefindtheexperienceofemotionallysupportingothers
itselftobeempoweringandreassuring(Rimer,Lyons,Ribisl,Bowling,Golin,
Forlenza,&Meier,2005;Tanis,2008).Thismayberelatedtosatisfyingnatural,
altruisticneedsortoself-reinforcementthroughthefeelingofbeingahelperor
savior.Experiencingthehelpingofothersindistress,infact,mightbeofsignifi-
cantpersonalvalue(seemorebelow).
ExperiencingUniversality(ManyOthersLikeMe)
Universalityplaysamajorroleinprovidingmentalrelieftopeopleindistress
(Yalom&Leszcz,2005)inthattheydonotthenfeelalonebutthattheirpar-
ticularsituationisconsidered“normal,”thatothersarelikethem.Thatis,while
