A Study on Self-Cognition and Emotion Regulation by Writing Poems

This study explored if the self-cognition and emotion regulation could be improved through the recognition and expression of emotions by writing poems. This aims to accelerate the emotional recovery of depression. Writing poems includes cognizing, expressing, and even regulating one’s own thinking and emotions. This accords with the principle of cognitive therapy for depression(training to understand the essence of a problem and to solve it by regulating one’s own emotions, thinking, and cognition). Thus, for the emotional recovery of depression, this study utilized writing poems based on the principle of cognitive therapy. Especially, this study examined if writing poems could effectively manage negative emotions by analyzing the linguistic characteristics, methods of expressing emotions, and changes in emotion shown in the poems written under depression. The results of this study are as follows. First, in the cognitive therapy through writing poems, the formation of trust relationship between leader and participant is the most important. This leads the effects of cognitive therapy. Second, in the cognitive therapy through writing poems, it is essential to write poems focusing on the expression of emotions or senses by excluding the literary value or form of poems. In this case, the self-cognition is improved when subjective thoughts are changed objectively. Third, the participant who has gone through several sessions of interview process including the formation of trust relationship and exploration of poetic language, has a desire to complete a poem as a work while looking at the first draft. At this time, the leader of cognitive therapy through writing poems asks the participant for the viewpoint and positive interpretation of creator. This not only changes the poetic narrator’s emotion, but also works as a training for emotion regulation of participant. Fourth, the participant repetitively reads the poem by actively pursuing the literary value of poem, considering the syllable, rhythm, meter, and structure, and modifying words or construction. In this process, the participant gets to have hopeful and positive thinking, and also has an ability to effectively regulate negative emotions. emotion, and leaves an aftertaste. Through this, the narrator can have hopeful/positive thinking and also effectively manage/regulate negative emotions. Especially, the structure of introduction-development-turn-conclusion leads the effect in this process. Even though the introduction-development-turn-conclusion is one of the most basic structures of writing, it is not absolutely necessary to every writing. Particularly, modern poems pursue free expression without any limitation on form. However, this study showed that utilizing the structure of introduction-development-turn-conclusion for writing poems could be an effective method to clarify the flow of emotion and to help one’s understanding. In conclusion, this study verified that writing poems using the structure of introduction-development-turn-conclusion based on the principle of cognitive therapy, could help emotion regulation and also accelerate the emotional recovery of depression. However, this study was conducted based on fragmentary cases, so it would be necessary to verify the possibility of generalization through more extensive studies.