Park et al., 2016, Study 1: Writing about distressing life experiences increased self-distancing from stressful event and reduced emotional reactivity among college students one month later
Reference:
Park, J., Ayduk, Ö., & Kross, E. (2016). Stepping back to move forward: Expressive writing promotes self-distancing. Emotion, 16(3), 349.
Download PDFSummary:
College students were asked to write about their most distressing life experience (“their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their experience by focusing on their past, present, and future, and their relationships with others”) or a nonemotional topic (what they had done since waking that morning) for 15 minutes on three consecutive days. Those in the former condition showed greater self-distancing from the distressing experience a day and 1-month later, and less emotional reactivity 1-month later. There was no effect on self-reported physical health symptoms.
Psychological Process:
What Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
Selves (My Own and Others')Approach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Changing beliefs about emotions, states, and the valence of the self-conceptHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Are negative past emotions, states, and experiences ongoing and undermining?Are negative past emotions, states, and experiences ongoing and undermining?Psychological Question Addressed
Are negative past emotions, states, and experiences ongoing and undermining?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Well-being
Intervention Technique:
Active reflection, on negative experiences