title: Catharsis: a literature review.
abstract: A review of the catharsis literature by its nature must begin with an examination of its development from emotion. This allows us to understand why so much controversy surrounds catharsis as a therapeutic notion. The study of emotion and its various facets, such as the role of language and gender differences, are discussed. Definitions of catharsis and an examination of the evidence for the three major forms of catharsis follow. This enables the relevance of catharsis as a stress management technique in the self-care of nurses and other healthcare professionals to be examined. The review concludes that there is a paucity of mental health nursing evidence to support the value of catharsis as a skilled nursing intervention. The existing inconclusive evidence from other sources, such as psychology, does tend to support the use of catharsis in some situations. Finally, recommendations for particular aspects of future catharsis research are also suggested.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kettles
mesh_terms: D002399:Catharsis; D003142:Communication; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011613:Psychotherapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*