Meanings
proper noun
- The phenomenon that poets are more susceptible to mental illness than other creative writers.
Origin
Coined by psychologist James C. Kaufman in 2001, referring to the poet Sylvia Plath.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Sylvia Plath effect
subjectprojectselectdirecteffectobjectperfectrespectconnectcorrectprotectexpectaffectreflectcollectcheckedsuspectdetectincorrectindirectprospectelectdefectneglect
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
Sylvia Plath effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sylvia%20Plath%20effect
MLA
“Sylvia Plath effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sylvia%20Plath%20effect. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sylvia Plath effect,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sylvia%20Plath%20effect.
Source: Sylvia Plath effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.