Catharsis

Catharsis « You Are Not So Smart:

David McRaney seems to suggest that catharsis is harmful, mostly that the expression of anger breeds more anger. My experience has been to try and transcend anger, but this has led to depression and stagnation. There must be a middle path. One where the flames of anger are not targeting a person, but toward a broader change. But it must be a broader change that will sustain the coals of warm justice. I believe it must be a shared tendering of this volatile fuel.

…exposure to media messages in support of catharsis can affect subsequent behavioral choices. Angry people expressed the highest desire to hit a punching bag when they had been exposed to a (bogus) newspaper article claiming that a good, effective technique for handling anger was to vent it toward an inanimate object.- Brad Bushman, Roy Baymeister and Angela Stack, from the study on catharsis

How can we reframe our emotions to line up with our true desires in life?  In Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg talks about expressing emotions fully.  He has a formula for recognizing the underlying needs that emotions point to.