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Taiwanese graduates’ self-guided bibliotherapeutic experiences relating to identity issues

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the processes by which five female Taiwanese graduate students majoring in Education (four) and Science (one), who were studying in American university settings, employed bibliotherapy to deal with their emotional difficulties in relation to identity conflicts. The methods employed in this study for collecting data included audiotaped face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, mind-map activities, think-aloud protocols, and telephone or e-mail follow-ups. The researcher examined these data using an analytical model generated on the basis of identity theory, cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and bibliotherapy theory. This model explicated how participants first examined their initial identities, and then maintained them, modified them or constructed new identities by moving through the three stages of bibliotherapy: identification, catharsis and insight. By dint of this study, we come closer to understanding how the participants employed literature to deal with their emotional difficulties related to identity issues and further made adjustments to their given situations. This study facilitates a better understanding of bibliotherapeutic experiences and identity conflicts. It also contributes to our knowledge about self-guided bibliotherapy and pedagogical bibliotherapy in cross-cultural study settings and their importance in cognitive, emotional and social development, especially with the approach of globalization.