Taylor Swift and the Important Difference between Venting and Rumination

Taylor Swift took over the news cycle again this month after releasing her chart-topping new album, The Tortured Poets Department. Pulling from her tried-and-true themes — love, heartbreak, destiny and of course tragedy, TTPD delivers plenty of the confessional lyrics that made Swift famous.

The star has grown remarkably comfortable with detailing some of her most vulnerable, unflattering moments to the masses, capturing the tumultuous emotions of love and loss in relatable ways.

There’s no debate: fans love her for it.

What’s less clear is whether Swift’s magic blend of counseling and capitalism models healthy coping skills for kids.

By all accounts, Swift uses songwriting to process and release negative emotions and experiences. This kind of venting can be healthy, investigative journalist Abigail Shrier writes in her book Bad Therapy, so long as it doesn’t become compulsive.

When a person vents negative feelings or experiences over and over, however, they are engaging in rumination.

Defined as a “style of thinking characterized by past injuries or personal problems,” Shrier cites research showing rumination increases people’s likelihood of becoming depressed. Good therapists, she writes, tell patients why pathologically re-hashing old hurts is an unproductive thought process and teach them how to stop ruminating.

Most tracks on TTPD feature the same tragedies from different perspectives. A fan might call it building a cohesive album, but a critic could arguably identify it as a physical manifestation of Swift’s rumination.

Plugged In’s own Adam Holz describes the album’s whopping 31 songs as being about “heartbreak, love, heartbreak, tragedy, heartbreak and still more — well, you get the point.”

Swift owes no allegiance to her fans or critics — she is entitled to write as she pleases. Likewise, parents are responsible for ensuring their children consume appropriate content — even if it means limiting the Swift tracks.

Children do not benefit from rumination and shouldn’t learn it at the feet of their musical idols. Considering TTPD’s borderline obsessive retelling of Swift’s past hurts, parents should be cautious about allowing their children to spend hours stewing in her latest work.

For more information about the content of Swift’s new album, read Adam Holz’ full review here.

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