SUBJECTIVITY BETWEEN THE LINES: CREATIVE WRITING AND ITS POTENTIAL AS A THERAPEUTIC RESOURCE FOR YOUNG ADULTS

• Grant number: 24/21216-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Ananda Kenney da Cunha Nascimento
• Grantee: Bruna Silva Chimello
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Creative writing encompasses various forms such as poetry, high literature, mass literature, playwriting, scriptwriting, and non-fiction. The production of this artistic and cultural resource, practiced in an amateur capacity, and its relationship with psychology remains underexplored. Therefore, the aim of this research is to understand the subjective meaning and therapeutic effects of creative writing in the lives of these authors. The study seeks to comprehend the main reasons why those who engage in creative writing do so, and how creativity, exercised through writing, may have therapeutic effects on their personal lives. For this purpose, the research will be of a qualitative nature, in the form of field research, and will therefore be submitted to the Research Ethics Committee. Data collection will involve online interviews with up to 8 writers from the online storytelling platform Wattpad, with the signing of the Informed Consent Form (ICF). The analysis will be based on the theoretical-methodological framework of Thematic Analysis, and its interpretation will be made through the Winnicottian psychoanalytic theory. It is expected that this research will reveal a significant therapeutic effect in the lives of writers, as well as promote studies that examine creative writing as a powerful therapeutic resource in the lives of those who practice it. There is also the possibility of developing tools both within and outside of psychotherapy based on the appreciation of this resource. Additionally, the research aims to bring greater visibility to amateur authors, recognizing creative writing beyond the academic sphere.