Reading Fiction as a Learning Activity in Clinical Psychology Education: Students' Perspectives

The use of fictional literature as "case studies" in psychology education has a potential to support students' learning in various ways. To further the understanding of such applications of fiction, we investigated how clinical psychology students perceived reading fiction as a learning activity. The participants saw benefits for their clinical training, theoretical understanding, and self-awareness. They also saw use of fiction in their education as predominantly beneficial for their learning environment. How the present findings support our understanding of fiction as an educational device is discussed in light of previous studies about the potential of fiction in higher education.