Synonyms
Definition
Catharsis was a concept conceived during the nineteenth century, used by many different therapists interested in the idea of emotional discharge. Catharsis is the action of an individual getting rid of or discharging repressed emotional energy, of which such energy is the precursor to psychological trauma (Bushman 2002). Specifically, Freud conceptualized this term as an emotional release of paralyzing affects associated with negative, traumatic memories. This conceptualization was influenced by his colleague and mentor’s work, Josef Breuer, and his treatment of Anna O., who was the first patient that both Breuer and Freud had attempted to help with her hysteria (Bushman 2002; Turri 2014).
Introduction
Often, catharsis is an important component of therapy to address unconscious, repressed memories through the use of hypnosis. Catharsis is a very familiar concept in the field of psychoanalysis. It revolves around the emotions an individual...
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References
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Leung, E. (2018). Freudian Catharsis. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2300-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2300-1
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