The Psychological Aspects of Writing

source: Wix Images

The Psychological Aspects of Writing

“You can make anything by writing” said C.S. Lewis. Writing is a part of everyday life, whether a student is taking notes in class, a teacher is writing down examples on the board, or an author is preparing his, or her, rough draft. Regardless of the instance, writing is an important part of life. So how is writing influenced? Or more specifically, how is the story influenced? Five theories of psychology can answer this question. The Behaviorist, Psychoanalysis, Humanistic, Cognitive, and Biological Theories relate to writing in how they examine the story, the type of writing being distributed, and the reasoning behind the author(s). These theories of psychology help to explain the type of writing being used and why the author(s) distributed the content like he, or she, did.

Behaviors behind the Author

After reading a book, a story, or an article, one often wonders what the author was thinking when they wrote the piece, or why they chose to write about the certain subject. Well, the Behavioral Theory of psychology explains that “all behavior is learned from the environment through conditioning” (Cherry, 2015). Also, that people learn through “reinforcements and punishments” (Cherry, 2015). So according to the authors’ past, or time spent in school, whether they were punished for bad work, or rewarded for good work, has a major impact on their present-day choice of content being published.

Psychoanalysis Theory suggests that one’s “behavior and feelings as adults are rooted in our childhood experiences” (McLeod, 2015). If the author was perhaps abused as a child, he, or she, may write dark and deep content, compared to if the author had an easy childhood with caring parents, they may write happy and light-hearted stories. So this theory suggests that a persons’ experiences as a child influence their “unconscious desires and beliefs” (McLeod, 2015). Maybe the author, based on this theory, is highly religious due to their upbringing and chooses to write a book about Christianity. The Psychoanalysis Theory sheds much light on the choices of the author.

The study of “the person as a whole, and the uniqueness of each individual” is the Humanistic Theory (McLeod, 2015). This theory focuses on the thought that everyone is “basically good” and has an instinct to better themselves and the world (McLeod, 2015). One might be curious as to what an author was thinking when they wrote an optimistic or creative story. These are characteristics of the Humanistic Theory. Free will is yet another aspect of this theory and could influence the thoughts behind an author. It also puts a focus on a persons’ ability to “overcome hardship, pain, and despair” (McLeod, 2015). So perhaps the author had overcome many challenges earlier in life and that is what had influenced their piece of work. The Humanistic Theory puts much reason to what the writer was feeling, on a personal level, when he, or she, put forth their story.

Behavior is related to “internal processes”, such as “perception, attention, language, memory, and thinking”, according to the Cognitive Theory (McLeod, 2015). So no matter the behavior, it can be broken down into these simple processes. Another aspect of this theory is “the way people process information” (McLeod, 2015). An author may have been taught one lesson and interpret it differently than another author, therefore their reviews on that one lesson would be different. Understanding the internal processes of one’s mind can lead to knowing what makes them “tick” (McLeod, 2015). The Cognitive Theory helps to uncover the thoughts behind an author via these processes.

Most people would think that science has absolutely nothing to do with writing or the thoughts behind an author. Well, the Biological Theory sheds some light on the relation. This theory states that “people are a consequence of our genetics and physiology” (McLeod, 2015). So therefore an author may base his, or her, story on a trait that was passed down to them, such as an illness. Or perhaps their thoughts are influenced by a physiological aspect. Either way, this theory reveals that an authors’ thoughts could indeed be caused by some biological factors.

Type of Writing being Distributed

There are several different types of writing styles, and several reasons behind an author choosing a certain one. Some writing styles include “expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative” (Meer, 2015). An author’s writing style is “a reflection of his or her personality, unique voice, and way of approaching the audience and readers” (Meer, 2015). The theories explained above relate to the choice of writing style in that they explain the personality of the writer. The Behaviorist Theory focuses on conditioning, reinforcements, and punishments. Therefore, depending on the authors’ experience with punishments, they may choose to use a persuasive style to persuade their readers on how to teach or how to condition.

The Psychoanalysis Theory, linking behavior to childhood experiences, could most definitely explain why an author would choose the narrative style for writing. Regardless of what type of childhood they had, the narrative writing style would explain their personal experiences. This theory is very relative to this style of writing.

Using the descriptive writing style “describes places, people, events, situations, or locations in a highly-detailed manner” (Meer, 2015). One may use this style based on their uniqueness and creativity. The Humanistic Theory focuses on these aspects of a person. Writers who “overcome hardship, pain, and despair” tend to be very creative and descriptive when writing (Meer, 2015). Therefore, the relation in this writing style and theory is evident.

A writer uses the expository style in order to tell “you about a given topic or subject without voicing their personal opinions” (Meer, 2015). This writing style is commonly used in textbooks, cookbooks, or for scientific purposes. The Cognitive Theory explains that behavior is caused by the “simple cognitive processes”, therefore an author using this writing style uses the processes of memory and perception to write their content (McLeod, 2015). This style is very simple and gets to the point, like the Cognitive Theory suggests behavior can be explained simply by the processes of the mind.

There are many different types of writing styles and reasons behind why a writer chooses a specific one. The psychological theories discussed above help to explain the reason as to which one an author chooses.

Interpretation of the Content. Understanding the content of what one is reading can be the most challenging. Knowing the background of the author and the type of writing style being used helps immensely. However, each reader has a different personality, background, and way of thinking as well. Therefore, the interpretation of the content being read differs from each reader. Based on the Psychoanalysis Theory, one may interpret the story in relation to their experiences as a child and their “unconscious desires” (McLeod, 2015). Considering the Humanistic Theory, a person may think the content is unique and creative. On the other hand, if looking at the Cognitive Theory, someone would see the story as very straight-forward and simple. As stated before, the interpretation of the content is widely diverse.

The Relation to Writing. Most people would never think that psychology is related to writing in any way whatsoever. But psychology is a part of almost everything, especially writing. It can be used to understand the background of the author and how that influences his, or her, writing style, and it can uncover the wonders behind understanding the actual content of the story. Once the reader can reveal these mysteries, the ease of enjoying the book, essay, or whatever it may be, comes easily.

Conclusion. The five following psychological theories relate to writing in that they explain the background of the author(s), help to interpret the content, and give insight into why a certain style of writing is being used: The Behaviorist Theory, Psychoanalysis Theory, Humanist Theory, Cognitive Theory, and the Biological Theory. Based on the Behaviorist Theory, “all behavior is learned from the environment through conditioning” (Cherry, 2015). It also includes reinforcements and punishments. The theory that behavior and feelings are “rooted in our childhood experiences” is Psychoanalysis. This theory focuses on the conscious and unconscious desires of people. The study of “the person as a whole, and the uniqueness of each individual” is the Humanistic Theory. Basically, people are good, and always have the need to better themselves and the world. “All behavior, no matter how complex, can be reduced to simple cognitive processes”, such as “perception, attention, language, memory, and thinking” (McLeod, 2015). These thoughts are based on the Cognitive Theory, which link human mental processes and the role they have in “thinking, feeling, and behaving” (McLeod, 2015). The theory that is based on science, genetics, and physiology is the Biological Theory. It states that “most behavior has an adaptive/evolutionary purpose” (McLeod, 2015). All of these aspects relate to writing in some form or another. As C.S. Lewis once said, “You can make anything by writing.”

References

Cherry, K. (June 02, 2015). "What Is Behaviorism and How Does It Work?" Retrieved April 21 2016 from https://www.verywell.com/what-is-behavorism-2794866.

McLeod, S. A. (2015). Biological Psychology. Retrieved April 21, 2016 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/biological-psychology.html.

McLeod, S. A. (2015). Cognitive Psychology. Retrieved April 21, 2016 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive.html.

McLeod, S. A. (2015). Humanism. Retrieved April 21, 2016 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html.

McLeod, S. A. (2007). Psychodynamic Approach. Retrieved April 21, 2016 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychodynamic.html.

Meer, S. H. (April 17, 2015). “Four Different Types of Writing Styles: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive, And Narrative.” Retrieved April 21, 2016 from https://www.hubpages.com/literature/Four-Types-of-Writing.