1. Home
  2. »
  3. Psychology
  4. »
  5. You May Be Suffering From The Sylvia Plath Effect

You May Be Suffering From The Sylvia Plath Effect

sylvia plath effect

You May Be Suffering From The Sylvia Plath Effect

Do you think you might be suffering from the Sylvia Plath effect? Know about it here for writers and poets.

Highlights

  • Slyvia Plath had a difficult life
  • She has an iconic reputation
  • Her life is a subject of studies over the years.

The Sylvia Plath Effect and Things to Know

Sylvia Plath was a well-known American poet who had a difficult existence. As a result, this disease describes the link between female poets and mental illness.

Without a doubt, Sylvia Plath was a great artist, but she did not achieve an iconic reputation until her well-publicized suicide at the age of thirty. Many thought Ariel, her later book of poems, to be a masterpiece. Her life has been depicted for the public in various ways to support various opinions, ranging from the political idea of the troubles of a woman to the simple aesthetic view of the troubled artist. She also comes to represent a controversial psychologic theory.

sylvia plath effect

James Kaufman carried out two research in 2011. The first evaluated 1,629 writers for psychosis and discovered that female poet were more likely to be affected than women prose writers or male authors whatsoever. A second study looked at women in various professions, most of which are considered artistic, and discovered that poets were more likely than any other occupation to suffer depression. The Sylvia Plath Effect was named after the confluence of the findings of these two research.

The connection does not imply causation. Artistic instincts do not drive people insane. Kaufman suggested that poetry and other creative disciplines appear to be more accepting of psychiatric conditions over others. Someone who has been forced out of, say, business or dentistry may be given more leeway in the arts and achieve more success. Thus, art may be more of a shelter for those who have a mental illness than a source of their sickness. Artistry does not appear to necessitate mental illness – artists, like anybody else, receive treatment and perform better after it.

What about the link between mental illness and poems? That remains inexplicable. But it’s also wide open. Feminine poets might be a little more willing to participate in such a poll than most other authors, raising the prospect of selection bias. However, it is not uncommon for some personalities to be drawn to specific vocations.

What are your thoughts on the sylvia plath effect? Is it a coincidence, a result of the study’s mechanics, or an actual correlation?