catharsis

American  

[kuh-thahr-sis] / kəˈθɑr sɪs /

noun

plural

catharses

1. the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

2. Medicine/Medical. purgation.

3. Psychiatry.

   1. psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects.

   2. discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the permanent relief of the condition.

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catharsis British  

/ kəˈθɑːsɪs /

noun

1. (in Aristotelian literary criticism) the purging or purification of the emotions through the evocation of pity and fear, as in tragedy

2. psychoanal the bringing of repressed ideas or experiences into consciousness, thus relieving tensions See also abreaction

3. purgation, esp of the bowels

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catharsis Cultural  

1. An experience of emotional release and purification, often inspired by or through art. In psychoanalysis, catharsis is the release of tension and anxiety that results from bringing repressed feelings and memories into consciousness.

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Other Word Forms

• hypercatharsis noun

Etymology

Origin of catharsis

First recorded in 1795–1805; from New Latin, from Greek kátharsis “a cleansing,” equivalent to kathar- (variant stem of kathaírein “to cleanse,” derivative of katharós “pure”) + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

The catharsis I felt then of finally seeing it after so many decades has not.

From Los Angeles Times

Telling her story has also been a "catharsis", she said.

From BBC

“It was this amazing collective feeling of catharsis and connection to something bigger than ourselves.”

From Los Angeles Times

The best songs on the album are rich with such moments of catharsis, where an arrangement builds to an emotionally wrenching peak and Mr. Ellis’s voice carries it through.

From The Wall Street Journal

But once you decide to level with your children with bracing honesty and vulnerability, you’re well on your way to achieving catharsis.

From MarketWatch