A theory of catharsis

Scheff, Thomas J.; Bushnell, Don D.

doi:10.1016/0092-6566(84)90032-1

Cited by 31 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Respondents should be aware of the attributions they use when responding to venting. Originality/value -Venting may persist as a common practice because we "feel better" after the venting interaction not because we release anger.The idea that individuals can experience a cathartic release by expressing emotions or viewing a dramatic performance has been around since the time of Aristotle (Scheff and Bushnell, 1984). But it was Breuer and Freud (1957) who, in their writings on hysteria, popularized the idea of venting as a means to catharsis.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Venting as emotion regulation

Parlamis

2012

International Journal of Conflict Management

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the emotion regulatory aspects of venting and use an attribution appraisal framework to investigate the differential impact on anger and emotional tone given a reinforcing or reinterpreting response. Design/methodology/approach -This research uses a 2 (target: offender or third party) £ 2 (response type: reinterpret or reinforce) between-subjects factorial design. Dependent variables are measured quantitatively in the form of a questionnaire. Findings -This research supports the notion that venting may be used as an emotion regulatory strategy and highlights the importance of the reciprocal aspect of the venting interaction. In addition, this research underscores the importance of attributions in the venting process, in particular, the attributions used in responding to venting. This research shows that the response types (reinforcing or reinterpreting) as well as the identity of the target (offender or third party) are important determinants of anger and emotional tone. Research limitations/implications -This research employs an anger recall methodology. Future research should explore venting and responses in a live anger setting. Practical implications -What is said in response to venting matters. Respondents should be aware of the attributions they use when responding to venting. Originality/value -Venting may persist as a common practice because we "feel better" after the venting interaction not because we release anger.The idea that individuals can experience a cathartic release by expressing emotions or viewing a dramatic performance has been around since the time of Aristotle (Scheff and Bushnell, 1984). But it was Breuer and Freud (1957) who, in their writings on hysteria, popularized the idea of venting as a means to catharsis. Venting of emotions has been described, metaphorically, as similar to venting a steam-filled pipe. If you allow the steam in a pipe to escape by venting it, the pressure will be released and the pipe will not explode. Similarly, if an individual vents emotions by expressing them, the emotions will dissipate and the individual will return to a more placid state. Freud argued that venting brings about a beneficial release of the negative emotions: a catharsis (Breuer and Freud, 1957).The hydraulic metaphor is compelling. People believe that, through venting, one can achieve a release of anger and negative emotions (Biaggio, 1987). Popular psychology writings (Lee, 1995) and conflict management experts (Fisher and Shapiro, 2005; The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at

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mentioning

confidence: 97%

Venting as emotion regulation

Parlamis

2012

International Journal of Conflict Management

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“…Most studies fail to report the length of time subjects engaged in laughing behavior. In addition, äs Bushnell and Scheff suggest, it is uncertain whether physiological measures are measuring the net effect of laughter or exposure to humorous Stimuli or simply the momentary response to these conditions which are occurring at the time (Scheff and Bushnell 1984). This uncertainty suggests that physiological measures should follow the cessation of humor or laughter by a significant interval to ensure that a measure of net effect is being taken.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Some studies (Averill 1969;Godkewitsch 1976;Langevin and Day 1972;Jones and Harris 1971) have shown that laughter increases physiological arousal while others (Bushnell 1979;Scheff and Scheele 1980;Scheffand Bushnell 1984) have found that laughter decreases physiological arousal. Scheffand Bushnell (1984) suggest that these differences are due to the time at which the physiological states were measured. They contend that laughter initially leads to increased respiratory and muscular activity and a firing of the sympathetic nervous System which is followed by a state of relaxation during which respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure are generally reduced to prelaughter levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Laughter and stress

White¹,

Winzelberg²

1992

Humr

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The effectiveness of laughter in reducing physiological and psychological measures of stress is compared with relaxation training and control groups. Personality factors of sense ofhumor and use ofhumor to cope äs well äs group size are also compared. Subjects were 74 College students randomly assigned to either a humorous or control videotape, or an audiotaped relaxation program. While laughter was not found to be äs effective äs relaxation training in reducing physiological measures of stress, it did appear to reduce psychological measures. Personality factors were found to be significantly correlated with stress reduction, especially with women.

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“…Some studies (Averill 1969: 399-414;Godkewitsch 1976;Langevin and Day 1972;Jones and Harris 1971: 381-382) have shown that laughter increases physiological arousal. Others (Bushnell 1979;Scheff and Scheele 1980;Scheff and Bushnell 1984) have found that laughter decreases physiological arousal. Scheff and Bushnell (1984) suggest that these differences are due to the time at which the physiological measures were taken.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Others (Bushnell 1979;Scheff and Scheele 1980;Scheff and Bushnell 1984) have found that laughter decreases physiological arousal. Scheff and Bushnell (1984) suggest that these differences are due to the time at which the physiological measures were taken. It is their contention that laughter leads to increased respiratory and muscular activity and a firing of the sympathetic nervous System, which is then followed by a state of relax>ation during which respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure are generally reduced to prelaughter levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Laughter as a stress reducer in small groups

White

Camarena²

1989

Humr

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To investigate the effectiveness of laughter äs a stress reducer, 93 students were randomly assigned to one of three groups: laughter, control, and relaxation training. Each group metfor 1.5 hours each weekfor six weeks. Measures of heart rate, blood pressure, mood, and anxiety were taken äs indices of changes in stress level.While the laughter group didnot experience significantly reduced stress, it did show consistent decreases in stress levels for the two psychological measurements äs compared to the control group.

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A theory of catharsis

Cited by 31 publications

References 9 publications

Venting as emotion regulation

Venting as emotion regulation

Laughter and stress

Laughter as a stress reducer in small groups

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