ABSTRACT
The place of poetry therapy in psychology: historical and theoretical foundations The pluralistic base of poetry therapy has evolved through the explo ration and evaluation of the differential effects of the use of the poetic in a wide range of therapeutic capacities. Literary scholars have pro vided perspectives on the human condition which have been all too often neglected in the clinical literature. In Striking at the Joints: Contem porary Psychology and Literary Criticism, Knapp (1996) provided a text that can be used to advance the interface between the social sciences and the humanities. Going beyond the traditional literary criticism relating to Freudian theory, Knapp provides an analysis of contempo rary psychology (e.g., cognitive theory) and literary works and criti cism. Texts that have addressed both literary and clinical traditions include Psychoanalyses, Psychology, and Literature: A Bibliography (Kiell, 1990); Life Guidance Through Literature (Lerner and Mahlendorf, 1991); and Youth Suicide Prevention: Lessons from Literature and The Aching Hearth: Family Violence in Life and Literature (Deats and Lenker, 1989, 1991).
