FORGET CATHARSIS!

Firstly i would like to remind everyone that the word Catharsis originated from the Greek word Katharsis...

When reviewing an article on www.bookrags.com some interesting points were raised on the theory of Catharsis. 

The Catharsis theory indicates that the viewing of violence helps a person channel their own aggression and get rid of negative thoughts etc. This would suggest that if a person is feeling aggressive or angry then they can play a violent computer game or watch a violent film to get rid of this feeling. 

However the majority of points raised in the article are against the idea of this as am I. The idea of Catharsis is opposed by the ideas of the Culmination theory. This would say that the more violence you see the more aggressive you become. In the article some say "I think its a kind of purifying experience to see violence" however some go against "It is time to put a bullet, once and for all through the heart of the catharsis hypothesis. the belief that observing violence gets rid of hostilities has virtually never been supported by research" which the stats do prove.

The writer of the article very cleverly links the culmination theory to smoking to oppose the Catharsis hypothesis. Stating "Not everyone who smokes getst lung cancer, and not everyone who gets lung cancer is a smoker. But even the tabacco industry agrees that smoking causes lung cancer. Smoking is not the only factor that causes lung cancer but it is an important factor. Similarly not everone who watches violent media becomes aggressive, and not everyone who is aggressive watches violent media. Watching violent media is not the only factor that causes aggression, but it is an important factor" which i agree with. Again comparing violent media effects to smoking the article reads "Like a first cigarette the first violent movie can make a person nauseous. Later however, one craves more and more. The effects of smoking and viewing violence are both cumulative.

The catharsis theory is highly plausible but it is false. The statistics show that this does not decrease aggression. This leads me on step further to answering my hypothesis.