An Exploration of Psychological Factors Involved in the Practice of Writing and Performing Spoken Word Poetry

Spoken Word Poetry, which emphasizes the performance of a written poem before an audience, has been referenced as a therapeutic medium for artists and audience members alike (Parmar & Baine, 2007; Smith & Eleveld, 2003). However, there has a been marked dearth of literature on the specific psychological processes that take place for an individual engaging in Spoken Word Poetry. The present study aims to identify the psychological factors involved in the experience of writing and performing Spoken Word Poetry. Nine adult participants from various cultural and geographic backgrounds, who have had at least one year of experience with writing and performing Spoken Word Poetry, were interviewed. Interview questions were informed by current findings in the Poetry Therapy, Biblio/Poetry therapy, Expressive Writing, and Spoken Word Poetry literature. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated six major themes across interviewees, including psychological factors involved in writing, psychological factors involved in performing,evolution in writing and performing, identity, relationships, and therapeutic factors. These six themes provided the supporting structure for an exploratory understanding of the psychological factors involved in writing and performing evolution in writing and performing, identity, relationships, and therapeutic factors. These six themes provided the supporting structure for an exploratory understanding of the psychological factors involved in writing and performing Spoken Word Poetry, as well as a basis for future research endeavors.