Catharsis Theory;

The large amount of violence in the mass media is often justified by the concept of catharsis. The word catharsis comes from the Greek ‘katharsis’, which literally translates to ‘a cleansing or purging’. The first recorded mention of catharsis occurred over 1,000 years ago, in the work Poetics by Aristotle. He taught that viewing tragic plays gave people an emotional release, (katharsis) from negative feelings such as pity, fear, and anger. By watching the characters in the play experience tragic events, the negative feelings of the viewer were presumably purged and cleansed. This emotional cleansing was believed to be beneficial to both the individual and society. In modern times this tactic is used to the same effect in mass media, instilling fear in the viewers, thus pacifying any violent urges or motives.

symbols ; this modest capsule will be a light initial offering, inspired by Joseph Beuys and his politically driven actions, most specifically his performance piece - I Like America, America Likes Me, while also touching on subliminal perception and the catharsis theory within modern day media influence. All of these items have been worked by hand and are a preface to the next chapter.