To better see the effects of expressive writing, three unique scholarly articles were compiled and summarized. These articles are set in chronological order, to make it easier for the reader to see the steady progression of advancement in the field of expressive writing. The three articles may reference a University psychologist professor named James W. Pennebaker who has made many advancements in the field. Overall, the studies referenced show overall improvement in health, however further testing is needed. This essay is not intended to persuade, only to summarize some of the research done in the 21st century.
Keywords: expressive writing, James W. Pennebaker, Richard B Slatcher, Siri Carpenter,
Overview
Expressive writing is used to
…show more content…
The subjects were to complete three 20-minute writing sessions during a two-week period. The students split into two groups, where the control group only had to reflect on how they felt that day whereas the experimental group were instructed to write their deepest thoughts about coming to college and to overall conclude at the end of their essays.
Then, Klein and Boals, measured the participants working memory three times, once before the first writing session, once one week into the experiment and one last time after the last writing session. The duo concluded that the group who worked on expressive writing had some improvements in their memory, while the group who had a neutral writing assignment had no improvements. Although this study was very supportive toward the idea of expressive writing expanding working memory, the results were still too vague to definitively say that better memory was the result of expressive writing. Klein and Boals decided to retry the experiment a second time. This time, the team of researchers wanted some of the subjects to write about an extremely tragic experience and the others to write about an extremely pleasant one. In the control group, they were assigned the usual task of writing about their daily routines, only difference is this time they were not instructed to reflect upon it.
The researchers also made an interesting route, they asked the participants to express how often intrusive memories of their positive and
Many people have a habit of writing differently and it can be good or bad. In the essay “The Importance of Writing Badly,” Bruce Ballenger encourages students to write spontaneously without any rules or “error-free sentences.” He believes that there are no wrong way to express how a person feel. It may not be the correct way to write it but it still allows a person to write continuously. Ballenger allows students to write badly because he is more interested in encouraged thinking.
The findings of this paper were interesting because I noticed that a lot of most popular and highest ranked types of writing coincided with my list of popular writing types. I made my own list of my five biggest areas of writing. My list consisted
Writing is a powerful tool for communication and connection. As an extension and expression of the mind, writing is as much about the mental processes of the author as it is about the final marks laid to paper. As we write, we hold in mind our own thoughts on the work, anticipate the reader’s thoughts, and think both in concrete and abstract ways in order to accomplish the task at hand. Whether an academic research paper, a novel, or text message to friends, writing seeks to engage, persuade, or impress concepts upon an audience. Like language and other art forms in general, the practice of writing is ever-evolving and is subject to cultural and contextual influence, expectations, and conventions. Each writer holds a theory
Writing varies from a text message to a novel. Writers often have a difficult task in creating a piece of work that truly identifies the meaning of good writing. Every good writer usually starts with the basics such as genre, audience, rhetorical situation, and reflection of the piece. Throughout this semester, we have gone through all of these key terms in great detail with each new assignment that has come our way. In doing this, not only as students but also as writers, we have come to create our own theory of writing. Every writer has a different theory of writing though most are very similar. Now, at this point in the semester after doing countless journals, in-class exercises, and final assignments, I think I have figured out my own
Writing is an essential tool and has been noted as a precursor for great speaking by teachers at all grade levels. However, with writing being an important aspect throughout one’s academic career and beyond, it is one of the most tedious tasks to teach. It sounds like a cliché, but in order to get better at something, one has to keep completing the task and each time, accomplish something different while maintaining prior knowledge. There are various ways that enhance a student’s writing abilities and the focus of these research strategies will prove that encouraging students to write enhances writing.
Writing is a practice that most of us were taught when we were young. We were taught the basics of grammar, how to form a sentence, conjunction words, how to write paragraphs and more. Although we have learned this skill while growing up and have used the skill every year after entering kindergarten, this does not mean our writing process will ensure the best work. The authors that I chose each encourage their audience to excel in the art of writing in their own way to help with the writing process.
Some may argue that writing is not the only way to help others, there is no denying that there are other possibilities like group therapy but writing is still an avenue that can be taken towards the betterment of an individual. For example, Judy Willis, author of “Writing and the Brain: Neuroscience Shows the Pathways to Learning.” Stated,
In our society, people communicate through various ways. One of the most essential way is writing. Through writing, people convey their thoughts and ideas, connect to others, and pass on wisdom generations by generations. More importantly, writing effectively promotes the advancement of society. Though some people have not realized the how writing benefits from writing, the author of the article “How to Read Like A Writer”, Mike Bunn illustrates that focusing more on the rhetorical “strategies” and structure rather than the content can improve our own writing.
As texting has yet become a concern of many parents, teachers, and doctors because of the use of slang and Abbreviation is expanded especially in high schools and colleges. Michaela Cullington, who was a student at Marywood University in Pennsylvania and received a Masters degree in speech and language pathology from Marywood in 2014, discussed in “Does Texting Affect Writing?” about the problem above. In general, Cullington positively confirmed that texting does not have any significant effects on formal writing. Cullington also encourages the use of slang and abbreviations should be approved because of many benefits, or positive effects.
Many people hold their own personal experiences and opinions about writing. Whether they be positive or negative, those viewpoints one may obtain will shape them as a writer. For example, if someone has had a traumatic past with writing, they might be afraid of it. On the other hand, a healthy writing background may aid in alleviating the stress one feels towards their writing. Several factors play a role in how people write and the emotions they feel about it. Surprisingly, even famous authors have insecurities about their work, such as, Anne Lamott and she revels them in her piece called “Shitty First Drafts.”
Life is a cycle of learning and the dissemination of what we’ve learned. In each day of our lives we learn something new to add to our list of skills and knowledge. When I first entered university, I thought the writing courses were useless and just a waste of time since we all can write. Later, however, I realized how those courses are beneficial in improving our critical thinking and communication skills not only the style of writing.
In today’s society one would not be able to communicate effectively with the world if writing was not involved. People all around the world send emails, texts, and letter to numerous amounts of individuals each second. Talking on the phone is slowly becoming a thing of the past while the writing side of technology is taking over. The meaning of writing is changing in society. Writing used to be specifically for academics or the occasional letter to a loved one. As time has passed writing has taken more forms and more meanings. In the world we live in now writing is classified as texting, emailing, instant messaging, and even comments or tweets on social media. Although writing has these multiple new forms, it still holds its academic side strongly. Everything with meaning in turn affects a person’s day to day life. Writing has the effect of making one more intellectual. Writing has become a bridge between communication and the cultures and people of today’s society. It gives way for different options in stating sentences or phrases. (Olson). Each affect should change with age. As a person grows older, their writing styles should mature and take on a more professional aspect.
Weekly, one-page response papers are assigned based on their readings, which helps students understand my writing expectations, and gain confidence as the transition from generalized and vague language to academic writing. In class writing assignments, which deal with key questions from their reading, also helps students make the transition. After reading “Why I Write” by Joan Didion, I invite students to write a short essay about their writing process. Each reading and writing assignment escalates in difficulty, with the intention to build confidence, reduce anxiety, and overcome fear about their writing process, while increasing their academic language.
Freshman year, I grew in 2 ways; one which included gaining skills for academic success. I wanted to find a way to become a better writer while at the same time putting my feelings on paper, thus leading to my journal, or “diary”. I would write events that happened and my feelings and input on it. One thing I noticed was that writing
The main idea of Affective Events Theory is the affective experience such as moods and emotions as crucial link in shaping attitudes and behaviours (Rosen, Harris & Kacmar, 2009). Based on Greenberg (2011), positive mood leads to positive memory