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.

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?