catharsis
\ kuh-THAHR-seez \ , noun;
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. a. psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects. b. 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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Quotes:
Then they argued about whether the sensation of catharsis in the writer himself could be a test of the work.
-- Walter Van Tilburg Clark, "The City of Trembling Leaves," 1945
It was such a catharsis , such a coming to terms, such a reward. It was proof that I was right…
-- George Carlin, "Last Words," 2009
Origin:
Catharsis came to English in the late 1700s from the Greek kátharsis meaning "a cleansing."
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