Exploring the Moderating Effect of Cathartic Expression on Fading Affect Bias

Cathartic expression in psychology has been written about and discussed since the early 20th century. Early literature surrounding catharsis has described it as a useful tool in many therapies that laid the groundwork for many coping mechanisms that exist today. Many people describe cathartic release as a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions, such as physically exercising while stressed. However, the effects of catharsis have not been studied and explored significantly in recent years. The model suggested by this study includes a phenomenon knownas Fading Affect Bias (FAB), in which recollection of events trends to positive valence after along period of time. Previous discussion regarding catharsis points to two main models by whichcatharsis is effective: a cognitive model and a hydraulic model. Working with these models of catharsis, this study aims to delve into the efficacy of catharsis and how strong the moderating effect would be on Fading Affect Bias. In this study, undergraduate students from the University of California, Merced played a game designed to induce frustration and then completed a survey (n=31). The survey items measured three dimensions relating to the game: Control, Fairness, andEnjoyment. The results show that there were significant differences between participants who experienced a cathartic intervention, while also being unable to show a significant effect accounting for the timescale in which FAB works.