Abstract
The core notion of Kelly’s self-characterization procedure, although rarely commented on by subsequent writers, is that of a “protected spot” wherein the client can write about themselves freely. In this article, I shall explore self-characterization, not just by the “client”, but for the “client” – the person informing himself or herself through the self-characterization procedure. Here, I consider the use of poetry as the means by which a grieving person construes grief and its relationship to the self. Poetry is a means of self-characterization that provides concrete evidence of the role of the “protected spot”. Examples are drawn from informal private “journal” poems and their subsequent transformation into formal public verse.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was by reported the author.