People have been recording their thoughts and feelings in the written word for almost as long as writing systems have existed. Certainly, people have been keeping diaries of their emotions in large numbers since the Romantic period, when recording individuals' reactions to their lives was considered to be a standard practice. Bear in mind that a daily diary entry is much more akin to modern journal therapy than, say, a memoir that necessarily involves some backwards-looking reflection. Journaling tries to capture, in words, what people feel in the moment. Modern journal therapy was developed in the 1960s, led by pioneers such as Ira Progoff, who promoted journaling among patients to help promote spiritual and emotional growth. Since then, journal therapy has developed into a self-discovery process championed by social psychologists and psychotherapists such as Kathleen Adams and James Pennebaker. Both are advocates of journal therapy from the standpoint of achieving beneficial mental health outcomes.