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| Publications [#42339] of Adriel Boals
search PubMed.Journal Articles
- A. Boals & K. Klein (2005). Word Use in Emotional Narratives about Failed Romantic Relationships and Subsequent Mental Health. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 24, 252-268.
(last updated on 2005/10/19)
Abstract:
We investigated how word use in a stressful
narrative is related to levels of grief and
intrusive and avoidant thinking associated
with the stressful event. Two hundred and
eight college students who had experienced
the breakup of a romantic relationship during
the preceding twelve months produced a
written narrative of the relationship and
subsequent breakup using an expressive
writing procedure. Participants used more
negative emotion, cause, sensory, and first
person singular words when describing the
breakup in comparison to describing the
period when they were still dating. In
addition, greater avoidance of the breakup
predicted greater use of negative emotion,
first person singular and third person
pronouns, and less use of cognitive words.
Conversely, levels of grief predicted less
use of causal words and greater use of first
person singular pronouns. We argue that use
of cognitive words reflect an active search
for meaning and understanding of the
stressful event.
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