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Prime Journal of Social Science (PJSS)
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ISSN: 2315-5051. Vol. 4(12), pp. 1262-1264, December 28 , 2015
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Short Communication
Catharsis theory and media violence
Morka Emmanuel
Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku.
E-mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +2348035720345
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Accepted 10 December, 2015
This article focuses on catharsis as a theory propounded by Aristotle. The translation from the Greek word
Katharsis means cleansing or purging. The article exhumed the juxtaposing position of the theory that viewing
television violence has social utility as later developed by social science researchers- that it provides people
with a harmless outlet for their pent up aggression and hostility which is against the position of eminent
scholars that viewing TV violent programmes promote violent aggression. The weakness of the theory is
examined as posited by scholars. The theory is carefully compared with the social learning theory, pointing out
that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context indicating the possibility of reduced
aggressive tendencies when media violence is portrayed as inhibitory and punishable. The emotional cleansing
of negative feelings as fear and anger associated with catharsis theory as originally propounded by Aristotle is
believed to be beneficial to both the individual and the society.
Key words: Catharsis, sublimation, media, violence, behavior.
INTRODUCTION
There have been a lot of questions on how much and
what kind of behaviour people learn from the media.
Principally most social science researches, favour
influence of media contents on its audience. According to
Baran and Davis (2012 p. 7,8), two decades ago after
reviewing years of relevant researches on the question of
media effect, Aletha Huston and her colleagues wrote:
“The accumulated research clearly demonstrates a
correlation between viewing violence and aggressive
behaviour- that is heavy viewers behave more
aggressively than light viewers. Both experimental and
longitudinal studies support the hypotheses that viewing
violence is casually associated with aggression. Field
(naturalistic) experiments with preschool children and
adolescents found heightened aggression among viewers
assigned to watch
television or film under some conditions”.
Despite this, catharsis also known as sublimation which
is the idea that viewing violence is sufficient to purge or at
least satisfy a person’s aggressive drive and therefore
reduce the likelihood of aggressive behaviour, has been
for long in the field of mass communication.
From the work of Heris (2009), the notion of catharsis
extends all the way back to Aristotle’s poetics where he
spoke of drama purging the emotions of the audience
and leading to a ritual purification. Baran and Davis (2012
p. 227), also traced the origin of catharsis to the
philosopher Aristotle who according to them originally
discussed catharsis in his poetics to explain audience
reaction to Greek tragedy
Denis Mc Quail (2004 p. 549), classified catharsis as a
type of effect of tragic of violent fiction and drama that
leaves the audience purged of emotion and released of
any urge to be affected by the action portrayed. Aligning
with other scholars on the origin of catharsis,Denis Mc
Quail (2004 p. 549), noted that catharsis was originally
suggested by Aristotle and taken up by researchers into
media violence to account for seeming lack of harmful
effects.
Haris (2009 p.276) gave further detail of catharsis as it
making clear prediction about the effect of screen
violence on behaviour, a prediction that is eminently
testable and exactly opposite to the prediction of
modeling theory. While modeling predicts an increase in
violent behaviour after watching media violence,
catharsis theory predicts a decrease in such behaviour.
Haris (2009) gave another version of catharsis theory as
arguing that watching media violence reduces one’s
arousal level, and thus one is less prone to
1263 Prim. J. Soc. Sci.
violence. The third version he gave is that media violence
may elicit an inhibition response which puts a brake on
tendencies towards violent behaviour. It is important to
note that none of these positions on catharsis have
offered a serious challenge to the overall conclusion that
viewing media violence leads to increase in violent
behaviour.
Assumption of catharsis theory
Catharsis is viewed as suggesting that television violence
had social utility- that is, it provide young people with a
harmless outlet for their violent pent up aggression and
hostility
Weakness of catharsis theory
Baran and Davis (2012 p. 227) noted some weaknesses
in the catharsis theory. According to them, common
sense and our media consumption offer some evidence
of the weakness of the catharsis theory. They posited
that if viewing mediated sexual behaviour does not
reduce sex drive and viewing media presentation of
people dining does not reduce hunger, why should we
assume that seeing mediated violence can satisfy an
aggressive drive. F. Scott Andison as cited by Baran and
Davis (2012 p. 227)wrote in 1977 after reviewing twenty
years’ worth of scientific evidence:
“We can conclude on the basis of the present data
accumulation that television as it is shown today probably
does stimulate a high amount of aggression in individuals
within the society. Therefore it seems reasonable to
tentatively accept TV as a stimulant to aggression and to
reject the catharsis theories”
Baran (1999 p. 358) in support of the none suitability of
catharsis theory in mediating media violence cited
respected media researcher and theorist Joseph Klapper
as telling the United State of America that “I myself am
unaware of any, shall we say hard evidence that seeing
violence on television or any other medium acts in a
cathartic manner. There have been some studies to that
effect; they are grossly, greatly outweighed by studies to
the opposite effect”
However Scheff (2007) in the journal of social
evolutionary and cultural psychology believes that
catharsis is relevant in its context to reduce the violent
aggression after viewing violent media programmes.
According to him Fasback and Singer in a research, were
able to show that high school students who viewed
violent TV programmes, far committed fewer aggressive
acts than those students who did not view. A
phenomenon which presumably demonstrating the effect
of catharsis. The correlation they found however was
weak.
On a general note, eminent scholars agree that the
media directly influence and impart on its audience. This
view according to Miller (2002 p. 237), has been labeled
in retrospect by the memorable monikers of the magic
bullet effect and the hypodermic needle effect. Under the
magic bullet effect and hypodermic needle effect, the
media is seen as cable of swaying behavior in whatever
direction is preferred by the communicator. The media
are seen to work as a magic bullet or a hypodermic
needle, shooting the desires of the source directly into
the thought, attitude and subsequent behaviour of the
receivers.
Catharsis theory and the social learning theory
Social learning theory posits that learning is a cognitive
process that takes place in a social context and can
occur purely through observation or direct instruction. In
addition to the observation of behaviours, learning also
occurs through observations and punishment: a process
known as vicarious reinforcement
Baran (1999 p. 358), posited that social learning theory
provided a scientific explanation for the research that did
show a reduction in aggression after viewing violent
media content. According to him, this phenomenon was
better explained not by some cathartic power of the
media but by inhibitory effects. If media aggression is
portrayed as punishable or prohibited, it can indeed lead
to the reduced likelihood that that behaviour will be
modeled.
Baran and Davis (2012 p. 231) explained that seeing a
model in representation punished for exhibiting a certain
behaviour decreases the likelihood that the observer will
make that response. In catharsis theory punishment is
not the case of a possible inhibitory factor but that
exposure to violence media contents
reduces
aggression. The principle of social learning theory, has
been applied extensively to the study of media violence.
Research studies have discovered significant correlations
between viewing violent TV programmes and aggression
later in life, as well as playing violent video games and
aggressive behaviours.
The relevance of catharsis theory in the society
From the original work and intention of Aristotle, Scheff
(2007) asserted that Aristotle thought that viewing tragic
plays gave people emotional release from negative
feelings such as, fear and anger. By watching the
characters in the play and experience tragic events, the
negative feelings of the viewers were presumably purged
and cleansed. This emotional cleansing was believed to
be beneficial to both the individual and society. However,
evidences in recent media research, show that the media
promotes violence at various degrees: powerful effect,
limited effect and cumulative effect. This is in line the
Powerful Media Effect Theory also known as The
Hypodermic Media Theory or Magic Bullet Perspective.
CONCLUSION
Since most scholars as indicated in the study agreed that
media programmes promote violent behaviour among
audience, it is appropriate to say that catharsis does not
Morka 1264
eliminate violent behaviour in the audience. The era of
Aristotle’s postulation of catharsis purging audience of
violent tendencies was basically the era of ancient drama
far before the advent of television with its sophistication
and effect. The mass media and theatre arts or drama
are different things all together. The former has more
believability because of its impersonal nature than the
later which is directly viewed by the audience. Although
both of them are media of communication, the mass
media has that special ability to influence it audience in
taking action. Catharsis cannot work in isolation. The
submission
of
scholars
on
media
violence
overwhelmingly disapprove the assumption of catharsis
theory.
REFERENCE
Baran J. S [1999]. Introduction to Mass Communication:
media literacy and culture. May field publishing
company
Baran J. S and Davis D. K. [2012]. Mass Communication
Theory–foundation ferment and Future. Wadsworth
cengage learning.
Haris R. J.[2009]. A Cognitive Psychology of Mass
Communication. Routledge
Mc Quail D. [2004]. Mc Quail’s Mass Communication
Theory. SAGE publication
Scheff T. J [2007]. Journal of Social Evolutionary and
Cultural Psychology.
Miller K. [2002]. Communication Theories. Hill High
Education.
www. Bookrage.com/research/catharsis theory and
media effect.