does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? (or spock had it right!) brad j. bushman, ph.d....
TRANSCRIPT
Does Venting Anger Feed or Extinguish the Flame?
(or “Spock Had it Right!”)
Brad J. Bushman, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology
Professor of Communication StudiesResearch Professor, Institute for Social Research,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USAProfessor of Communication Science, Vrije
Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Outline
Catharsis theory
Why does catharsis theory survive?
Do media messages work?
Does venting work if people believe in it?
Does rumination help or hurt?
Meta-analysis
Catharsis Theory
Dates back to Aristotle.Term comes from the Greek
katharsis, which means to cleanse or purge.
Posits that acting aggressively or even viewing aggression purges angry feelings.
Hydraulic Model
Frustrations lead to anger, and anger builds up inside a person, like steam inside a pressure cooker, until it is vented. If anger isn’t vented, the person will eventually “explode” in an aggressive rage.
Moratorium on Catharsis Theory
In 1973, Albert Bandura issued a statement calling for a moratorium on catharsis theory and the use of venting in therapy because they “may inadvertently reinforce aggressive tendencies.”
Venting Anger is Like Using Gasoline to Put Out a Fire — It Feeds the Flame!
Venting keeps arousal levels high.
Venting keeps aggressive thoughts active in memory.
Venting keeps angry feelings alive.
Why Does Catharsis Theory Survive?
Professional psychologists
Pop psychologists
Mass media
Do Media Messages Work?
Pro-catharsis: Research Shows that Hitting Inanimate Objects is an Effective Way to Vent Anger.
Anti-catharsis: Research Shows that Hitting Inanimate Objects is an Ineffective Way to Vent Anger.
Control: Marijuana Smoking Linked to Bleeding Gums.
Subjects: 180 men, 180 women
Item Not angered Angered
Organization +10 -10
Originality +9 -9
Writing style +9 -9
Clarity of expression +8 -8
Persuasive arguments +9 -9
Overall rating +9 -9
Comment: Great essay! One of the worst essays
I’ve read!
Subjects Rated a List of Activities
Playing solitaire
Reading a short story
Watching a comedy
Playing a computer game
Hitting a punching bag
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6P
un
chin
g b
ag p
refe
ren
ce
Pro-Catharsis Control Anti-catharsis
Not angered
Angered
Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 1
Placebo Effect
If venting works under any conditions, it should work when people believe that it works.
Does Venting Work if People Believe That it Works?
Venting: Hit or did not hit punching bag
Message: Pro-catharsis, anti-catharsis, or control
Aggression target: Provocateur or innocent third party
Subjects: 350 men, 350 women
-0.2
-0.1
0
0.1
0.2
Pun
chin
g B
ag P
refe
renc
e
Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis
Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2
Hit BagDidn't Hit Bag
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
Agg
ress
ion
Pro-catharsis Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis
Predictions based on catharsis theory
Hit BagDidn't Hit Bag
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
Ag
gre
ssio
n
Pro-catharsis Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis
Anti-placebo effect
Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2
Actual results
Aggression Target
Displaced aggression: Target was an innocent bystander.
Direct aggression: Target was the same person who criticized the essay.
Subjects who vented were just as aggressive against an innocent bystander as against the person who criticized them.
0
25
50
75
100
En
joye
d H
ittin
g P
un
chin
g B
ag
(%
)
Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsisBushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2
Most People Love to Vent Anger! It Feels Good!
Correlations between measures____________________________________
Measure 1 2 3____________________________________
1. Desire to hit bag — .23* .19*
2. Enjoyed hitting bag — .11*
3. Aggression —____________________________________
Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2
Catharsis theory would predict negative correlations, but all are positive!
Does Rumination Feedor Extinguish the Flame?
Rumination
Distraction
Control
Subjects: 300 men, 300 women
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Control Distraction Rumination
Bushman (2002) Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Control Distraction Rumination
Bushman (2002) Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Dependent Measures
Aggressive affect (anger)
Aggressive thoughts
Aggressive behavior
Anger Reduction Techniques
Aggressive
Venting
Aggressive fantasy
Violent media
Nonaggressive
Relaxation
Cognitive
Behavioral
All had same effect
Studies Subjects
92
57
10
6
4,045
5,802
1,199
316
Anger
Bushman (2006) Capped horizontal bars are 95% confidence intervals
-0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
Correlation
Venting
Aggressive fantasy
Violent media
Nonaggressive
Correlation
Studies Subjects
17
146
6
7
1,523
22,985
233
649
Aggressive Thoughts
Bushman (2006) Capped horizontal bars are 95% confidence intervals
-0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
Correlation
Venting
Aggressive fantasy
Violent media
Nonaggressive
Correlation
Studies Subjects
80
277
41
11
2,970
47,342
2,230
528
Aggressive Behavior
-0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
Correlation
Venting
Aggressive fantasy
Violent media
Nonaggressive
Correlation
Bushman (2006) Capped horizontal bars are 95% confidence intervals
Pressure Cooker Analogy
Wait until the pressure cooker explodes.
Periodically reduce the pressure by venting steam.
Lower the flame and reduce the heat!
Effective Ways to Reduce Anger
Delay: Let the anger dissipate.
Distraction: Think about something else.
Relaxation: Try to reduce arousal.
Incompatible response: Do something incompatible with anger and aggression.
Conclusions
Catharsis media messages work.
Venting anger doesn’t work (even if people believe that it does).
People feel good after venting, but the good feeling increases aggression.
Venting anger causes people to aggress against innocent bystanders.
Conclusions
Rumination makes people more angry and aggressive.
Exercise can distract people (and is good for the heart), but it is not an effective way to reduce anger and aggression.
Four strategies do reduce anger and aggression: delay, distraction, relaxation, and incompatible responses.
How Do I Get This Research?
All articles are on my web page: http://
www.umich.edu/~bbushman
E-mail: [email protected]
Questions?