|
|
ca·thar·sis  (k  -thär  s  s) KEY NOUN: pl. ca·thar·ses (-s  z) KEY
- Medicine Purgation, especially for the digestive system.
- A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear, described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama on its audience.
- A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.
- Psychology
- A technique used to relieve tension and anxiety by bringing repressed feelings and fears to consciousness.
- The therapeutic result of this process; abreaction.
ETYMOLOGY:New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein, to purge, from katharos, pure
|
|
|
