In addition, David McCooey argues that the genre of life writing shares a similar quality to history, as both engage in an ongoing discussion that fosters an understanding of their overall significance within the broader scope of literary expression.
[1] Likewise, the supergenre of life writing has permitted an individual to personally decide how they want to present themselves, whether that be to others within their social groups or simply to themselves as a way of imagining their ideal selves.
[1][3][2] Often accompanying the opportunity presented by life writing to fabricate a different self is the concept of resisting socio-cultural expectations, as the self that is fashioned may rebel against or reinforce societal norms that would otherwise be difficult to do in one's actual lived experience.
For example, it has served to offer increased insight into an individual's difficult experiences,[7] provide healthy coping management techniques,[2][1] enable self-empathy with one's past self for consequential improvement of the present and future self,[2] and propel discovery of one's life purpose since it has been altered within the confines of time.
[9] Approaches to defining life writing have ranged from establishing loose criteria for its generic language and style – its form – to evaluating its content, topic, and context – its substance.
In both respects, the self becomes a governing force within life writing, as individuals deliberately engage in the exploration of their emotions, thoughts, intersectional identities, social roles, relationships, temporal position, and their place within their socio-cultural context.
In the act of life writing, individuals are encouraged to comprehend what specific facet of their identity most prominently shapes the whole of it, whether that be one affiliated with the romantic, spiritual, racial, gendered, socio-economic, or familial.
[14] Because life writing prompts an individual to evaluate themselves personally, it concurrently motivates them to understand themselves not only as isolated and solitary beings but also as a product of numerous external influences pertaining to society and culture.
In this manner, life writing is regarded as an outlet for "self-collection," wherein an individual gathers information gradually about themselves by the two-fold means of internal introspection as well as contemplation of outward forces.
[16] Through the subjectivity of life writing, individuals are imbued with the option to represent who they are by either attempting to objectively recount their experiences or by crafting a version of themselves they ideally imagine to be through purposeful or subconscious deliberation.
This use of life writing has been historically represented in relation to gender, as cultural assumptions ingrained within the fabric of society have often hindered individuals from deviating from their assigned social roles and achieving their ideal selves.
Simon Forman and Thomas Whythorne within their autobiographies play into the traditional notions of masculine traits--power and strength-- within their portrayal of themselves as being objects of pursuit by the opposite sex.
[19] The author advocates for expanding the conventional boundaries of an archive to better engage with the surviving remnants of women's life writing from this significant historical era.
[13] The study places significance on Coetzee's life writing and its impact on the broader field of literature, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities it presents for ethical self-reflection and literary engagement.
[13] It examines how this compliance reasoning, tied to self-awareness and the imperfect nature of existence, is intertwined with secular confession and language while exploring how humiliation motivates authors to shape their narratives.
In the 17th century, Thomas Whythone and Anne Clifford within their autobiographical writings navigated sexual tensions and the power dynamics existing between those engaging in the intimate act.
[25][21] Recording one's experiences through life writing also enables intellectual activity and cognitive stimulation, resulting in the effect of strengthening memory and subsequently lowering the individual risk of dementia and Alzheimers.
Life writing can facilitate a fluid expression of feeling, a shift in personal thinking, and the development of self-control and confidence, especially within individuals possessive of low self-esteem.
[27] Such difficult experiences that may be reflected upon in this type of writing include physical and health issues, witnessing environmental catastrophes, and first-hand interactions with violence.
[27] In a study conducted by Charles Matthew Stapleton and his colleagues, they find that individuals who use writing to cope obtain a strength of mind that prevents self-criticism and doubt from holding dominion.
As a result of writing about a difficult experience, these individuals exhibited a decrease in distress, a healthy management of stress and anxiety, the increased acquisition of a positive mood, and became less cognitively avoidant of acknowledging the particular event.
[27] As individuals involve themselves with their own life writing, they reduce the mental and associated physical burden of having to suppress secrets or negative events by transferring the emotional weight and cognitive load onto paper.
Professionals within the realm of medicine, therapy, and education utilize life writing as a technique for individuals to better understand their motives for acting, thinking, and feeling.
The Centres are multi-disciplinary, with contributors from history, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, cultural studies and psychology as well as English language and literature and aim to produce academic publications in the field of life writing as well as contributing through other mediums, such as television, radio and the internet.
The University of Sussex Library is also home to the Mass-Observation Archive, a large collection of material from everyday life, personally kept routines and diaries that were collated between 1937 and the early 1950s.