ABSTRACT

Individuals who freely express their thoughts and feelings about stressful life events can benefit both physically and psychologically (Smyth, 1998). Initially, emotional disclosure was thought to facilitate adjustment to previously unexpressed traumas. Then it was shown to help individuals deal with less severe and ongoing stressful events. Recent research suggests an even further broadening of the scope of disclosure. Health improvements occur in both healthy and medically ill populations. Writing about imaginary traumas and writing about life goals can also improve health. How do we make sense of these diverse findings? We argue that a selfregulation approach can explain many of the apparent contradictions.