书面情感表达研究述评
Review of Written Emotional Expression
DOI: 10.12677/AP.2014.44074, PDF, HTML,   
作者: 孙易卓, 王卫红：西南大学心理学部，重庆
关键词: 书面情感表达；书写；情绪；健康；Written Emotional Expression； Writing； Emotion； Health
摘要: 书面情感表达(written emotional expression)是指在一定时间内按照特定主题对个人情感和想法进行表达的写作。有实验证据表明书面情感表达可以提高个体处理压力性生活事件的能力。早期的传统心理治疗领域对其理论研究主要集中在思想和感觉的言语表达方面。然而，最近创伤性生活经验的书写表达对心理和生理健康的改善研究开始崭露头角。本文试图对国内外有关书面情感表达的研究成果进行梳理，主要介绍了书面情感表达的概念、研究范式、相关理论、影响因素，并提出以往研究存在的问题和未来的研究方向。
Abstract: Written emotional expression is a kind of writing to express one’s emotion and thought according to some special topics within a certain time. Evidences have supported that written emotional ex-pression can enhance individuals’ ability to cope with stressful life events. The theory study of early traditional psychotherapy was mainly focused on the language of thoughts and feelings. However, the studies in which writing about traumatic events may improve individuals’ psychological and physiological health begin to emerge. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review was made with regard to written emotional expression at home and abroad, and then the definition, research paradigm, relevant theories and impact factors were introduced. At last, it put forward the limitations about this field and the direction in the future.
文章引用：孙易卓, 王卫红 (2014). 书面情感表达研究述评. 心理学进展, 4(4), 545-551. http://dx.doi.org/10.12677/AP.2014.44074

1. 引言

书面情感表达(written emotional expression)一直在心理学的理论和实践研究中占有重要地位，实验证据表明情感表达可以提高个体处理压力性生活事件的能力。在早期的传统心理治疗领域，理论研究主要集中在思想和感觉的言语表达方面，很少有书面表达的研究。书面情感表达(written emotional expression)将情感表露和书写表达相结合，是对情感表露和书写表达两种方法的有效扩展。目前，国外有关情感表达写作的研究已相当广泛和深入。国内学者对该领域的研究正在逐渐兴起。大量文献表明对创伤性或者挑战性生活事件的情感书写，积极改善了个体的心理和生理健康(Campbell & Pennebaker, 2003; Guastella & Dadds, 2006, 2008; Barclay & Skarlicki, 2009; Wong & Rochlen, 2009)。尽管将书写作为一种获得健康的方式早已有之(Witty, 1942)，但Pennebaker和Beall(1986)的研究使其更加科学有效，并且开启了一系列书面情感表达的相关研究，证明个人创伤事件书写组与非创伤事件书写组相比表现得更加健康，并以此支持了情感表达对个体的身心健康具有重要作用，而书写能够调节这一过程的观点。自1986年开始，将写作作为一种干预手段不断吸引着心理学和身心医学领域的研究人员和临床医生。其对这一技术的持续热情，可能归因于该疗法潜在的成本效益以及情感表达不受社会约束的优势。本文试图对国内外有关书面情感表达的研究成果进行梳理，主要介绍了书面情感表达的概念、研究范式、相关理论、影响因素，并提出以往研究存在的问题和未来的研究方向。

2. 书面情感表达

2.1. 书面情感表达的概念

书面情感表达作为一种表达性治疗技术最初出现在心理治疗领域(Smyth & Greenberg, 2000)。与言语表达相比，其强调运用书写的方式释放创伤事件的负性情绪，进而促进个体恢复身体和心理的健康状态。目前，国外与“书面情感表达”概念相近的表述主要有“expressive writing”、“written emotional expression”和“written emotional disclosure”。以往的研究中，研究者们把这种通过书写披露和表达与个人重要经历有关的感受和想法，由此促进身心健康的心理干预方法统称为书写表达(王永等，2010)。在本文中，书面情感表达(written emotional expression)与书面情感表露(written emotional disclosure)含义相同，是指在一定时间内按照特定主题对个人情感和想法进行表达的写作。其强调对个人情感和想法的表达，但不仅仅围绕个人的重要经历，也可以是研究中指定的主题。

2.2. 书面情感表达的实验范式

Pennebaker和Beall(1986)最早开展了对写作和心理治疗的实验研究。根据Pennebaker的实验假设，个体对自己内心想法和情感的压抑，将损害其心理健康。而解除对想法和情感的压抑就可以起到相反的效果，即增强来访者的心理健康水平。他们将大学生被试随机分配到四个书写小组中：1) 创伤事件书写组，要求被试书写经历过的创伤事件；2) 创伤情绪书写组，要求被试仅书写与创伤事件相关的情绪；3) 创伤事件–情绪混合书写组，要求被试书写创伤事件和情绪；4) 无关事件书写(控制)组，要求被试书写无关的中性事件，如时间安排。书写持续四天，每天15分钟。研究结果表明，书写创伤事件及情绪的被试，在随后的6个月内就诊显著减少，表现出身心健康的改善。

标准的书面情感表达的实验范式要求把被试随机分配到两个或多个小组的任意一组中。写作组要求根据分配的主题连续记录1~5天，每天15到30分钟。写作一般是在实验室进行，期间主试不给予任何反馈。控制组的被试被要求记录浅显的话题，如：如何利用时间。实验组的被试一般指导语如下：在未来三天中，我要求你记录下对你影响一生的重大情感事件，以及你对它最深层的想法和感受。这个创伤性事件可以与你的童年，或者与他人的关系，如父母、爱人、朋友、亲戚等有关；也可以将其与你的过去、现在和未来联系起来。记录过程中，我要求你真正地探索你最深层的情感以及思想。你可以每天写作同样的经历，也可以每天写作不同的经历。我们将对你的记录完全保密。请不要在意拼写、句子结构、语法这一类问题，唯一的原则就是一旦你开始书写，请持续到时间结束。书写结束后对被试的生理和心理指标进行测量，并在几个月后进行回访(Pennebaker & Beall, 1986)。

随着书面情感表达的研究不断深入，研究者们将实验范式应用于不同的群体，采用不同的实验设置、指导语以及结果变量。

3. 书面情感表达写作的相关理论

3.1. 情感压抑理论

Pennebaker等人认为，个体从主要的生活剧变中寻求意义。尽管通过与他人谈话的方式，能够增强对创伤的理解，但是对许多痛苦事件则难以进行探讨。例如，受到家庭或者性虐待的受害者，以及有不法行为的罪犯，由于感到愧疚或害怕惩罚通常对这些经历保持沉默。为了不背叛他们的真实感受和体验，他们必须压抑他们的外显行为、面部表情以及言语表达。这种心理努力，短期内会导致自主神经系统功能的唤醒；长期内会导致个体对这些事件的反复负性思考，不断累积压力(Pennebaker & Francis, 1996; Pennebaker & Susman, 1998; Petrie, Booth, & Pennebaker, 1998)。与此相反，面对创伤事件(即谈论或记录这些经历)可以减少对正常应激反应的抑制，使个体开始洞察事件的过程，提升整体情绪并提高免疫机能(Lutgendorf, Antoni, Kumar, & Schneiderman, 1994)。应当注意的是，情感压抑理论关注个体对真实创伤事件的压抑，但想象的创伤事件的书写可能对个体身心也具有影响，从这一点来看，情感压抑理论作为书面情感表达的潜在机制还有待进一步证明。

3.2. 情绪的生物信息理论

根据生物信息理论，情绪意象和情绪书写表露是情绪记忆网络被通达的媒介。情绪记忆网络由相互连接的信息单元组成，这些信息单元包括描述、意义、反应单元。其中反应单元的激活能够引起相应的传出神经活动(Lang, 1979)，描述和意义单元很容易被通达，反应单元则很难通达，例如：有研究发现，个体在呈现情绪意象时表现出较低的生理反应(Lang, Levin, Miller, & Kozak, 1983)。只有当三个单元(描述、意义、反应)全部得到激活时，情绪加工才能够完全进行(Foa & Kozak, 1986; Lang et al., 1983)。该理论认为，生理反应体现了反应单元的激活，表露疗法中相对较高生理反应的个体比较低生理反应的个体能够获得更好的治疗效果(Beckham, Vrana, May, Gustafson, & Smith, 1990; Foa & Kozak, 1986; Lang, Melamed, & Hart, 1970; Watson & Marks, 1971)。Craske等(2008)指出在最初的暴露中，该生理反应表现为心率的变化，与皮肤电导或者自我报告恐惧无关。

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