The Sylvia Plath effect is a term coined by psychologist James C. Kaufman in 2001 to refer to the phenomenon that poets are more susceptible to mental illness than other creative writers. Although many studies (e.g., Andreasen, 1987; Jamison, 1989; Ludwig, 1995) have demonstrated that creative writers are prone to suffer from mental illness, this relationship has not been examined in depth. This early finding has been dubbed “the Sylvia Plath effect,” and implications and possibilities for future research are discussed. Kaufman's work further demonstrated that female poets were more likely to suffer from mental illness than any other class of writers. In addition, female poets were more likely to be mentally ill than other eminent women, such as politicians, actresses, and artists.
The effect is named after Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide at the age of 30 after several attempts throughout her life.
Read more about Sylvia Plath Effect: Supporting Evidence, Sylvia Plath, Female Writers, Sex Differences, Criticism, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words sylvia plath, plath and/or effect:
“Daddy, I have had to kill you.”
—Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)
“Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you.”
—Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)
“In his very rejection of art Walt Whitman is an artist. He tried to produce a certain effect by certain means and he succeeded.... He stands apart, and the chief value of his work is in its prophecy, not in its performance. He has begun a prelude to larger themes. He is the herald to a new era. As a man he is the precursor of a fresh type. He is a factor in the heroic and spiritual evolution of the human being. If Poetry has passed him by, Philosophy will take note of him.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)