Aggression and Catharsis in the Fight Club Essay Example

him the escape he badly needed. As both realize that they enjoyed the release they have found from hitting each other, other people, particularly men, began to notice what they were doing (Synopsis for Fight Club (1999)).

And before they knew it, word has started to spread of their actions. This realization eventually led Norton and Tyler to found Fight Club – a club which provides males with a “legitimate” venue to engage in aggressive acts such as hitting each other in order to vent their anger (Plot Summary for Fight Club (1999)). The “Fight Club” then became a sort of enterprise where men pay in order to take part in the fights and where men start to forget that the club is just part of themselves and not who they are.

The Issue of Catharsis The film operated on the premise that aggression is positive because it leads to what is termed as the Catharsis Effect. The catharsis effect is defined as the belief that venting anger through aggressive means decreases subsequent aggression (Catharsis Increases Rather Than Decreases Anger and Aggression, According To A New Study).

In a study done by Bushman, Stack and Baumeister entitled “Catharsis, Aggression and Persuasive Influence: Self-Fulfilling or Self-Defeating Prophecies? ” (qtd. n Catharsis Increases Rather Than Decreases Anger and Aggression, According To A New Study); the authors argued that catharsis increases rather than decreases aggression since the initial venting of anger could lead to more instances of aggression. The film therefore was based on a self – defeating premise. The film however addressed a very important issue: Men need to channel their aggression through some means. In our society today, norms

restrict certain behaviors such as those which are aggressive in nature and give no acceptable alternative for such.

The need to provide men with legitimate ways to deal with their anger and to educate them about their false belief regarding catharsis is of the essence. And though the first one has been done through the introduction of athletic activities, the second goal has not been fully accomplished. The need to disseminate correct information regarding acts that are aggressive in nature should be initialized as soon as possible so that harmless pranks that could lead to inconceivable repercussions such as death could be avoided.