Studies // Cited work
Catharsis, aggression, and persuasive influence: Self-fulfilling or self-defeating prophecies?
Bushman, B. J., Baumeister, R. F., & Stack, A. D. (1999). Catharsis, aggression, and persuasive influence: Self-fulfilling or self-defeating prophecies?.
Level B Experiment doi:10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.367
What this study supports
Supports the claim that belief in catharsis increased the wish to vent and that venting was followed by more laboratory aggression. Brief provocations and laboratory aggression measures limit generalisation.
- Who was studied
- Participants in two laboratory studies exposed to pro- or anti-catharsis messages and then to provocation.
- Design
- Experiment
- Level of evidence
- Controlled studies: randomised or experimental designs, and syntheses of correlational work.
Claims that rest on it
Each claim states what the site asserts, at what strength, and with what caveat.
EmpiricalLevel BConfidence HIGH
In laboratory experiments, hitting a punching bag while thinking about a provocation produced more anger and aggression than sitting quietly, and belief in catharsis increased the wish to vent without reducing later aggression.
- Scope
- Short-term anger and laboratory aggression after brief provocations, mostly in university students.
- Caveat
- Aggression was measured with standardised laboratory tasks; the studies do not describe long-term outcomes or every form of emotional expression, and they are not about dancing or music.
Last reviewed · Review due · venting-increases-anger