Pain and the dissertation

Gilbert (2015) discussed writing blocks and the pain that often both causes it and results from it. As I considered this related to writing the dissertation, I realized that there is an issue with psychology dissertations, and I wondered if something similar was present in other fields (I would love to hear others comment on this). In psychology, it is common for students to take on a topic that is related to their own experience, let's use as example, domestic violence. The student may have been in a violent relationship in the past, and wants to examine some aspect further in her study. However, such a close association with a topic can cause emotional pain to the extent it becomes almost a posttraumatic flashback. She may find herself reliving the experience as she reads other people's accounts and at the data collection phase, personally hearing others' experiences can be very traumatic.

I commonly advise students to avoid such emotional topics, as they often result in pain at the thought of working on the paper, and cause their own version of a writing block. A student may be more comfortable with a related, but less personal topic, such as the experience of working in a domestic violence shelter. Do not set yourself up to have an emotional punch in the stomach every time you work on your dissertation. It will not be long before you choose to avoid the pain.

Next time, I will discuss waiting. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Gilbert, E. (2015). Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.