Catharsis is a term derived from an ancient Greek word usually translated as "purification" or "cleansing." Scholars typically attribute the origins of the term to the philosopher Aristotle, who used it in reference to the dramatic arts and defined it as the purging of the emotions aroused in the audience by the events of an unfolding play. The term was later adopted by psychologists, beginning with Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud, who applied it to describe instinctive outbursts of human emotion, such as crying, in response to an acute or underlying stressor, situation, or unresolved state. Thus, the term has related but divergent meanings in the two fields in which it is most prevalent.
