I want to examine the book 'The Diary of Anne Frank' from a social science perspective. This
artifact is one I wrote about in week four as I explored the subject through the humanities. When
analyzing 'The Diary of Anne Frank' through the social lens, one can explore what makes
people better by examining the relationship between people and how society uses the practice of
writing in journals during times of unexpected change valuable for wellbeing.
The invasion of the Nazis is an event where people hid from danger. i Like Anne Frank
and her family. During the Covid- 19 pandemic people hid in place as well. i Although Anne's
circumstances for hiding in place were vastly different, the implications were the same,
protection. Anne and seven other people hid in place for fear of extreme systemic persecution;
fear of being caught and prosecuted. During Covid-19, people hid in place for fear of a deadly
virus; to protect themselves from contracting the deadly virus. In both instances, people were
forced to deal with the disruption in their lives and come up with ways to adapt to their situation.
What I learned is just like Anne, people around the world turned to journals to cope with their
situations. Sullying Ceballos from Miami, Janani Vaidya from Bangalore, Todd Smith from
Buffalo, Audrey Truschek from Jersey, and Xochitl Estrada from Texas are some folks Mithila
Phadke interviewed who began the act of journaling or returned to journaling during the Covid-
19 pandemic. Phadke (2020) writes, "There has been a rise in the number of people taking up
journaling... the reasons have been many: boredom, an outlet for stress, the need for structure,
or simply to document a very odd, very complicated moment in time." In both events, we
identify the psychological trend of journaling during times of disturbance.
Currently, in healthcare, professionals encourage people to journal as journaling can
positively impact mental wellbeing when people use it to cope with stressful situations.
Journaling helps people to create order, peace, and well-being when trying to understand the
world around them. People have even taken to digital journaling to document t experiences. In
some hospitals, video diaries are being used regularly by ICU nurses. Haakma et al. (2020)
write, "Keeping a diary might effectively support the mental health status of relatives by
helping them to feel useful, as the process provides emotional support during the recovery of
their loved one." i Journaling has evolved through time.
To gain a broader understanding of the impact of journaling on health; it should be
studied through four educational lenses. Through the lens of history, it can be seen that people
have used journals for hundreds of years. It is relevant to the humanities because journals have
been and continue to be used by people to record their thoughts, emotions, and reactions, and to
document their experiences. Natural science would reflect through research how journaling is
efficacious for a person's emotional and mental state. Through the social science lens, one will
learn how society encourages the practice of writing in journals for people to cope with stress to
preserve their physical, emotional, and spiritual wealth.
References
Haakma, T., Tieben, R., Sleven, B., Buise, M., & van Mol, M. (2022). Experiences of nurses
with an innovative digital diary intervention in the intensive care unit: A qualitative
exploration. Intensive & Critical Care Nursing, 70, N.PAG. Retrieved from: https://doi-
org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103197
Phadke, M. (2020, November 9). When nothing makes sense, I journal. I'm not the only one.
From first-time diarists to lifelong notebook enthusiasts, people around the world are
jotting down their thoughts during the pandemic. Vox. Retrieved from:
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21542132/journaling-bullet-journal-coronavirus-
pandemic
