The current study aimed to explore the mechanisms of 'therapeutic' functions of literature for non-clinical subjects who use reading as a coping mechanism. It was hypothesized that narrative feelings (identification with the character and feeling absorbed in the narrative world) and aesthetic feelings (attention to and appreciation of stylistic features) correlate positively with feelings of catharsis and insight. An online survey was conducted, asking non-clinical respondents (N = 55) of two different age groups (18-35 and 55-80) to report on a literary work that helped them to get through a difficult time in their lives. For age group, no relevant significant differences were found. The rest of the results mostly confirmed hypotheses derived from theory on bibliotherapy regarding the importance of recognition, identification, insight and catharsis. Narrative feelings correlated positively with catharsis and insight. Aesthetic feelings did not. Aesthetic feelings, however, correlated with absorption and with experiencing more thoughts during reading, while narrative feelings seemed to go together with a more emotional response. The most important predictor for catharsis turned out to be 'distraction' , except for poetry readers, for whom 'identification' was the most important predictor for catharsis. The most important predictor of insight was 'recognition' .

This study explored reader responses to different literary depictions of rape. Four literary excerpts were used, divided in aesthetic versus non-aesthetic (STYLE) and allusive versus explicit (DETAIL). The general question was how readers react to literary fragments depicting rape and whether the level of aesthetics and the level of explicitness influenced readers' thoughts andfeelings. An open-ended question asked readers to report how the style had influenced their thoughts and feelings, while 7-point scales addressed the following variables: experienced distance, perceptions of realism and of beauty, emotional versus intellectual reaction, empathy, tension, and arousal. In a 2 (DETAIL: explicit vs. allusive) x 2 (STYLE: aesthetic vs. nonaesthetic) within-subjects design (N=34), gender functioned as a between-subjects variable.Results indicate that the personal tendency to feel engaged with fiction overrides effects of aesthetics and explicitness. Factor analysis suggests that readers who are easily engaged with the characters feel unsettled when reading rape scenes they find brutal and intellectualize in order to handle these feelings. These 'high empathizers' are not likely to be detached or to appreciate the fragment negatively: once absorbed, they will try to take something positive even from an unsettling experience.

A survey study was conducted to explore why people read about suffering, giving particular attention to the role that catharsis may play. Through an online questionnaire, respondents (N = 67) commented on a popular autobiographical Dutch novel about grief. The questionnaire contained closed and open questions, addressing motives for reading and thoughts and feelings while reading. Results indicated that curiosity about content, style and the author, fueled by media-attention and the author’s status, were the most important motives for reading the novel. Respondents who had experienced a significant loss themselves demonstrated a need for recognition and support. Responses further suggested that “clarification” (gaining deep insight) is a better explanation for the attraction of tragic narrative than “purgation.” Clarification did not appear to be related to fear, and the role of empathic emotions appeared questionable. Cluster analysis did identify a potential “catharsis group,” which combined fear, pity and appreciation for the articulation of grief.

This study examined the use of literature as a coping strategy among people who had experienced loss, comparing it to the use of music. Theory suggested that these artistic media can facilitate insight, recognition, support, relaxation, new emotions, and/or distraction. Among 198 respondents, 64 (32%) reported using neither medium during their grief period, 65 (33%) used only music, 19 (10%) used only literature, and 50 (25%) used both. Using artistic media was related to an emotional experience of the loss in two ways: 1) preference for emotion-focused coping was greater among those who used artistic media, 2) those who had used artistic media also reported greater impact of the loss. Reading was most strongly associated with distraction and listening to music with recognition. For those using both media, this suggests a coping process that alternates between distraction and recognition, in line with the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement.

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