Singing Your Troubles Away: The Experience of Singing From a Psychological Standpoint—Contributions From a Heuristic Research

Abstract

Singing is a complex, multifaceted activity and a multidisciplinary area of research. Although it is a ubiquitous human phenomenon, its psychological aspects are yet to be fully understood. This article presents a brief overview of the latest psychological studies on singing, with the aims of contributing to describing the subjective experience of singing, based on first-person accounts and on the researcher's self-discovery process. Results are presented of a qualitative research study where 6 in-depth interviews were conducted by the authors in Brazil. The research steps followed Clark Moustakas' heuristic method. The experience of singing is presented in the form of a composite depiction and in two categories: what singing means to us and the impact singing has on us. Singing was revealed as an activity filled with healthy aspects, like promoting integration, enabling self-awareness, serving as an impetus for personal growth, and being an important expression of creativity, a vehicle of identity, and a means of communication. A brief discussion of the implications of these results for future research is also presented.

Notes

¹Although completed in 2000, the study was revised and references represent the latest up-to-date published research in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

²Some examples include Folkworks (during the first 5 years of life), SmallArts (singing and dancing program for kids), and the Lullaby Singing Project.

³The research was part of the first author's Master's thesis and was reexamined for this article. The original Portuguese version may be accessed in its entirety in at http://www.bibliotecadigital.puc-campinas.edu.br/tde_arquivos/6/TDE-2012-10-16T071623Z-1757/Publico/ELIZABETH%20BROWN%20VALLIM%20BRISOLA.pdf.

⁴Heuristic research is not widely known in Brazil. Its humanistic roots and the inclusion of the researcher as a main focus of the investigation caught our attention, inspiring its application in our study, which, to our knowledge is one of the first in the Brazilian academic community.

⁵For those who are not acquainted with heuristic research, it has humanistic roots and its basic instrument, the interview, consequently has humanistic characteristics, valuing deep comprehension, honesty, and openness. For more, see Moustakas (1990, 1994) and Douglass and Moustakas (1985).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Brown V. Brisola

Elizabeth Brown Vallim Brisola is a psychologist and voice teacher in Campinas, Brazil, currently working on her doctorate in Psychology at the Pontifical Catholic University in Campinas under the supervision of Dr. Vera Engler Cury.

Vera Engler Cury

Dr. Vera Engler Cury is a professor at Pontifical Catholic University in Campinas, Brazil, where she developed an academic career teaching both undergraduate and graduate programs. She is also a Person Centered Approach psychotherapist. She has a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of São Paulo, USP, and a Mental Health doctorate degree from the University of Campinas, UNICAMP. One of her main interests has been developing new forms of psychological interventions in a variety of institutions, such as walk-in clinics, hospitals, and public health contexts. As a researcher she is a leader of a Research Group entitled “Psychological attention in institutions: prevention and intervention.”