Catharsis, aggression, and persuasive influence: self-fulfilling or self-defeating prophecies?
Does media endorsement for catharsis produce a self-fulfilling or a self-defeating prophecy? In Study 1, participants who read a procatharsis message (claiming that aggressive action is a good way to relax and reduce anger) subsequently expressed a greater desire to hit a punching bag than did participants who read an anticatharsis message. In Study 2, participants read the same messages and then actually did hit a punching bag. This exercise was followed by an opportunity to engage in laboratory aggression. Contrary to the catharsis hypothesis and to the self-fulfilling prophecy prediction, people who read the procatharsis message and then hit the punching bag were subsequently more aggressive than were people who read the anticatharsis message.
Bushman
B J
BJ
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames 50011-3180, USA. bushman@iastate.edu
Baumeister
R F
RF
Stack
A D
AD
D000374:Aggression; D002399:Catharsis; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010565:Persuasive Communication