Transference and katharsis, Freud to Aristotle
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9056472 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maria Grazia Turri (0000-0002-0441-8231, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 369-387 |
| Publication date | 2015-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Journal of Psychoanalysis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-7578 • E-ISSN: 1745-8315 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1745-8315.12243 |
| PMID | 25327434 |
| OpenAlex | W2051850442 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 8 |
Aristotle's theory of tragic katharsis is the most ancient and debated theory of the effect of the theatrical experience on the audience. It affirms that tragedy effects the katharsis of fear and pity, engaging readers with the controversy whether by katharsis Aristotle meant purification of the emotions (i.e. their perfection within the mind) or purification of the mind from the emotions (i.e. their abreaction from the mind). In this paper I will explore how Freud's theory of transference can suggest a new interpretation of Aristotle's tragic katharsis. Transference allows for the representation and expression of repressed emotions through the re-enactment of past relational dynamics. Although this process is essential to the psychoanalytic method, it is the subsequent analytic endeavour which allows for the "working through" of repressed emotions, bringing into effect the transference cure. I argue that the dynamic between emotional arousal in re-enactment and emotional distancing in analysis offers an effective parallel of the dynamic between katharsis of fear and katharsis of pity in Aristotle's theory. Such interpretation of tragic katharsis suggests that the theatrical effect in audiences may be an opportunity for self-analysis and the 'working through' of unconscious psychic dynamics
Catharsis · Distancing · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy) · Pity · Psychic · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Tragedy (event) · Unconscious mind · Classical Antiquity Studies · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,2 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2025 (10) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |