Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM: Campus Center Auditorium [A55]

Psychological Research of Therapeutic Writing and the Divergent Healing Strategies of Mary Oliver and Sylvia Plath

Presenter: Michelle Gelpi-Balthazar

Faculty Sponsor: Kara Roche

School: Mount Wachusett Community College

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

ABSTRACT

This research explores the connection between therapeutic writing and mental health by comparing the poetry and lives of Mary Oliver and Sylvia Plath. Writing is often used as a tool in therapy to help people process trauma, manage mental illness, and better understand their emotions. However, writing is not automatically healing. Its impact depends on how emotions are expressed and whether they are reflected on, organized, and supported.

Mary Oliver and Sylvia Plath offer two very different approaches to emotional writing. Oliver’s poetry is reflective, grounded in nature, and often moves toward acceptance and clarity. Plath’s work, by contrast, is intense, deeply personal, and emotionally raw. This study asks whether these different writing styles reflect different ways of coping with emotional pain—and whether those differences may help explain the paths their lives ultimately took.

Using psychological research on expressive writing, this project examines both the benefits and risks of writing about difficult emotions. Studies show that writing can promote healing when it helps a person make sense of their experiences and connect their emotions to a larger story. At the same time, research suggests that when writing amplifies emotion without reflection, support, or guidance, it can sometimes deepen distress rather than relieve it.

By combining psychology with literary analysis, this research highlights how writing style can reflect patterns of emotional processing. Ultimately, it offers a clearer understanding of when writing supports healing and when it may require greater care and intention.

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