Catharsis It is a Greek word that refers to purification and is used in psychology to explain the process of releasing negative emotions. The term became popular in the psychotherapeutic field thanks to Freud’s psychoanalysis.
Catharsis is the emotional release that occurs with free association method
In psychoanalytic theory, this emotional release refers to the “purgation” of unconscious conflicts. The free association method or cathartic method was originally created by Breuer, a friend of Freud, but the latter developed it as part of his psychoanalytic theory.
Traumas and repressed drives
Firstly, the free association method was part of hypnotic therapy, in which the patient was subjected to the memory of traumatic experiences from his past, in order to release those emotions or repressed drives The evolution of psychoanalysis separated this method from hypnosis to make it part of psychoanalytic therapy.
At the beginning of Psychoanalysis, Anna O, a hysterical patient of Breuer, coined the cathartic method as “chimney sweeping” or “word cure.”
Origin of the word catharsis
The word catharsis comes from the Greek term κάθαρσις (kátharsis) which means, “purification” or “purge”. Aristotle used the word in his work The Poetics. According to him, catharsis occurred in Greek tragedy due to the effect it had on the spectators, since the spectacle (tragedy) caused feelings of pity and fear and the spectators left the theater feeling cleansed, with a greater knowledge of the ways of men and the gods.
So that, The term refers to a process of purification of our feelings and values At the moment when we must reflect on life and human reflections beyond the here and now, we are able to value things in a different, renewed way. It is important, therefore, to understand that emotional catharsis is an ideal that can be achieved through self-reflection and direct contact with our condition as thinking beings.
Catharsis theory: media and violence
In psychology, the use of the word catharsis is known from the concept used by psychoanalytic theory and its function in psychotherapy. But from social psychology the term has also been used in the “theory of catharsis”.
The assimilation of certain ethical values
For several decades there has been a debate about the influence that the media exerts on viewers and its relationship with the development of violence in childhood. Nobody denies the role of the media in the socialization of people, since participate in the internalization of values and norms and in the way in which individuals relate to the world around them.
But the media often distort reality and create an invented world, fictional stories that try to influence our tastes, our interests and our opinions, something known as media reality. This constructed reality It has a very powerful effect on the creation of the mental world of modern society.
Many theorists, such as Albert Bandura, believe that the majority of media consumers absorb the social representations of the “mass media” without discrimination. This point of view, shared by other authors, is known as the mimetic theory. Given this scenario, catharsis becomes a complicated process, since there are many inputs that we internalize automatically. If we drag media content backpacks the catharsis process may be compromised.
Another point of view: passive catharsis in front of the television
On the other hand, and against this vision, there is a current that defends (or at least excuses) violence in the media. For defenders of this point of view, the dissemination of violence in the media functions as a form of catharsis, something known as the “catharsis theory.” For example, according to the cathartic theory, Violent scenes on television would constitute a way to release the aggressiveness that resides in viewers
Although the debate has lasted several decades, and despite the interest of many theorists in demonstrating that the theory of catharsis is true, research has not shown results that defend this position.
