Does Venting Anger Feed or Extinguish the Flame? (or Spock Had it Right! )

Transcription

1 Does Venting Anger Feed or Extinguish the Flame? (or Spock Had it Right! ) Brad J. Bushman, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Professor of Communication Studies Research Professor, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA Professor of Communication Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2 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

3 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.

4 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. Hydraulic Model

5 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.

6 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.

7 Why Does Catharsis Theory Survive? Professional psychologists Pop psychologists Mass media

8 Do Media Messages Work? Subjects: 180 men, 180 women 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.

9 Item Not angered Angered Organization 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!

10 Subjects Rated a List of Activities Playing solitaire Reading a short story Watching a comedy Playing a computer game Hitting a punching bag

11 Punching bag preference Angered Not angered Pro-Catharsis Control Anti-catharsis Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 1

12 Placebo Effect If venting works under any conditions, it should work when people believe that it works.

13 Does Venting Work if People Believe That it Works? Subjects: 350 men, 350 women Venting: Hit or did not hit punching bag Message: Pro-catharsis, anti-catharsis, or control Aggression target: Provocateur or innocent third party

14 Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2

15 0.6 Predictions based on catharsis theory 0.4 Aggression Pro-catharsis Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis Didn't Hit Bag Hit Bag

16 0.6 Actual results 0.4 Aggression Anti-placebo effect Pro-catharsis Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis Didn't Hit Bag Hit Bag Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2

17 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.

18 Most People Love to Vent Anger! It Feels Good! Pro-catharsis Control Anti-catharsis Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2

19 Correlations between measures Measure Desire to hit bag.23*.19* 2. Enjoyed hitting bag.11* 3. Aggression Catharsis theory would predict negative correlations, but all are positive! Bushman, Baumeister, & Stack (1999) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Study 2

20 Does Rumination Feed or Extinguish the Flame? Subjects: 300 men, 300 women Rumination Distraction Control

21 Control Distraction Rumination Bushman (2002) Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

22 Control Distraction Rumination Bushman (2002) Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

23 Dependent Measures Aggressive affect (anger) Aggressive thoughts Aggressive behavior

24 Anger Reduction Techniques Aggressive Venting Aggressive fantasy Violent media Nonaggressive Relaxation Cognitive Behavioral All had same effect

25 Anger Studies Subjects Nonaggressive 92 4,045 Violent media 57 5,802 Correlation Aggressive fantasy Venting 10 1, Correlation Bushman (2006) Capped horizontal bars are 95% confidence intervals

26 Aggressive Thoughts Studies Subjects Nonaggressive 17 1,523 Violent media ,985 Correlation Aggressive fantasy Venting Correlation Bushman (2006) Capped horizontal bars are 95% confidence intervals

27 Aggressive Behavior Studies Subjects Nonaggressive 80 2,970 Violent media ,342 Correlation Aggressive fantasy Venting 41 2, Correlation Bushman (2006) Capped horizontal bars are 95% confidence intervals

28 Pressure Cooker Analogy Wait until the pressure cooker explodes. Periodically reduce the pressure by venting steam. Lower the flame and reduce the heat!

29 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.

30 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.

31 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.

32 How Do I Get This Research? All articles are on my web page: bbushman@umich.edu Questions?