Media psychologists have found no empirical support for catharsis as emotional venting or purgation. However, the concept persists in the humanities and everyday use, particularly in beliefs about the presumed effects of catharsis on well-being. This study adjusts the conceptualization of catharsis to include a cognitive aspect, i.e., the clarification of emotion, and examines the health outcomes of the combination of exposure to drama and drama-induced self-reflection. An experiment (N = 152) was conducted to compare the therapeutic effects of cinematic and reading-based dramas. In a mediation analysis, improvements in general health and lowered levels of depression were found for cinematic drama exposure with self-reflection, compared to reading-based drama exposure with self-reflection; this relationship was mediated by identification and emotional self-efficacy. Our results provide preliminary evidence for the therapeutic benefits of cinematic human drama through an altered conception of catharsis. Implications for using media to facilitate emotional fitness and meaningful entertainment are discussed.
2023. Portrayals of threatened needs and human virtue: a review of the content of eudaimonic entertainment. Annals of the International Communication Association 47:1 ► pp. 55 ff.
Skurka, Chris, Cassandra Troy, Zheng Cui & Homero Gil de Zúñiga
2023. Efficacy constructs in media use and effects: organizing and appraising the literature. Annals of the International Communication Association 47:1 ► pp. 114 ff.
Bálint, Katalin, Freya Sukalla & Brendan Rooney
2022. Personal relevance and state empathy with a character facilitates self-disclosure in film viewers. Frontiers in Communication 7
Das, Enny & Lisette te Hennepe
2022. Touched by Tragedy. Journal of Media Psychology 34:6 ► pp. 323 ff.
Reinecke, Leonard & Rebekka Johanna Kreling
2022. The longitudinal influence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment preferences on psychological resilience and wellbeing. Frontiers in Communication 7
Janicke-Bowles, Sophie H., Anne Bartsch, Mary Beth Oliver & Arthur A. Raney
2021. Transcending Eudaimonic Entertainment. In The Oxford Handbook of Entertainment Theory, ► pp. 363 ff.
Eden, Allison L., Benjamin K. Johnson, Leonard Reinecke & Sara M. Grady
2020. Media for Coping During COVID-19 Social Distancing: Stress, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-Being. Frontiers in Psychology 11
Khoo, Guan‐Soon & Brent Adkins
2020. Catharsis. In The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology, ► pp. 1 ff.
Perks, Lisa G.
2019. Media Marathoning Through Health Struggles: Filling a Social Reservoir. Journal of Communication Inquiry 43:3 ► pp. 313 ff.
Khoo, Guan Soon
2018. From Terror to Transcendence: Death Reflection Promotes Preferences for Human Drama. Media Psychology 21:4 ► pp. 719 ff.
Oliver, Mary Beth, Arienne Ferchaud, Chun Yang, Yan Huang & Erica Bailey
2014. The benefits of contemplating tragic drama on self-regulation and health. Health Promotion International► pp. dau056 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 19 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
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