This study compared neurotic and depressive personality characteristics in autobiographies of creative achievers (n=30) versus eminent but noncreative achievers (n=18). California Q-Set ratings assessed the five personality factors of neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Creative achievers were…

Profiles the life of biologist and writer Rachel Carson with a focus on her career. Describes events leading to the publication of "Silent Spring." (LZ)

Examines the nature of humor and jokes. Considers the benefits of humor in public moments. Analyzes aspects of humor that may determine its efficacy. (HB)

Reviews the autobiography of Eva Hoffman, "Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language" (Dutton, 1989). Hoffman, whose family left Poland in the 1950s, offers a consciously bicultural view of the immigrant experience, in contrast to many autobiographies of those who forsake the old world for the new. (DM)

Describes an autobiography writing assignment. State that the resulting texts are entertaining, enlightening, and contain facts and anecdotes that reflect the personalities of the authors. (RS)

Describes the plight of academics' wives, who are held captive to the responsibilities and requirements of their spouse's demanding careers. Outlines the ways that careers in academics remain inequitable for women. (HB)

Discusses the life and writing career of the popular author of adolescent literature, Gary Paulsen. Considers each of Paulsen's novels individually as literary works and the entire corpus as artistic achievement. (HB)

A history professor explains why he requires students to read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, "The Narrative of Frederick Douglass." He finds students, both African American and white, react powerfully to the book (many choose to write a paper on Douglass) and feels the book touches upon nearly all the overarching problems of…

Responses of students in an adult development course who wrote five chapters of their life stories suggest that autobiographical writing leads adults through a process of self-exploration and meaning making. The result is a transformed view of themselves and their world. (SK)

Attempts to step outside the debate about personal writing in academic discourse and rework its configurations. Suggests that academics think anew about writing as a place where the personal and the academic, the private and the public, the individual and the institutional, are always inextricably interwoven. (TB)

Touches on central arguments surrounding the debate over the expressive essay for composition instruction. Notes that a primary assumption about the expressive essay--that it is honest and truthful--remains unchallenged. Suggests that students themselves offer ways to address concerns of social constructivists while acknowledging what is valuable…

Using Barbara Kingsolver's novel "Animal Dreams" and critical readings, the paper explores relationships between community, sense of place, and construction of meanings, noting the importance of autobiography in connecting with community and place in constructing landscapes and personal meaning and advocating for education that does not…

Uses teachers' autobiographies and action research as data sources to present an argument for valuing subjective, reflective knowledge based on Habermas's category of cognitive interest of emancipatory knowing. Explores the process of personal empowerment and proposes a model of change that includes disturbance, alternatives, confidence, and…

Autobiographies are effective tools for assessing students' predispositions toward science and mathematics content. Analyzes autobiographies of students (N=98) in elementary education methods classes to determine the kinds of K-12 and college content course experiences that affect their perceptions of mathematics or science. Reveals that attitudes…

Autobiographical writing groups in senior centers have become popular in senior centers. In addition to increasing self-esteem, recognizing past solutions as they relate to current problems, and helping to develop new relationships, writing groups also provide a social dimension. (JOW)