[1] Affect Imagery Consciousness, vol.1 Positive Affects vol.2 Negative Affects, S S Tomkins (with editorial assistance of B P Karon), 1962 & 1963, Springer, New York & Tavistock, London.
Tomkins regards emotions as the basis of our learned (and re-learnable) motivational system: "affects, a motivational system of great freedom." He regards interest, joy, grief, fear, shame, disgust, and anger as basic. Startle/surprise is a resetting emotion, changing relaxation to arousal. Discharge, of which he has no concept, is in his terms another resetting emotion, changing arousal to peacefulness. Tomkins describes adult responses to the expressed feelings of young people as shaping the kids future emotional styles: the origin of many chronic patterns? In particular shaming and shame are explored in detail. To Tomkins, as to us, his model is full of hope: "affects are transformable".
[2] Tom Scheff researches the processes & outcomes of discharge. As well as his book (see p.84) his articles are worth reading. Eg:
Towards integration in the social psychology of emotion, T J Scheff, 1983, Annual Reviews of Sociology, vol.9, 333-354. This critiques the academic literature on emotion, and reviews some of TJS's own experimental work. We found it fascinating to compare his observations with our own co-counselling.
A theory of catharsis, 1984, T J Scheff & D D Busnell, Journal of Research in Personality, vol.18, 238-264. The familiar co-counselling discharge theory, but cast in the framework of social science and psychology. Plus more experiments.
The taboo on coarse emotions, T J Scheff, 1984, in Review of Research in Personality, vol.5, Special issue on emotions, relationships & health. Documents this taboo--in academic psychology & in Freud's shift from emotions to instincts. Also describes how the taboo is installed in us, as children.
[3] Dynamics of autogenic neutralization, vol.5 of Autogenic therapy, Luthe W, 1970, Grune & Stratton, New York.
Luthe developed his cathartic therapy (autogenic neutralization) by extending autogenic training. His book gives many practical ideas, and observations on what happens with clients; little theory. Samples include: for therapeutic homework his clients tape-record their sessions; listen to the tapes; make and read transcripts; then make commentaries and cartoons and pictures about them. Luthe regards puking as cathartic, and keeps a bucket in his therapy room. As in co-counselling, clients are explicitly taught how to be effective clients.
[4] Emotional Expression in Psychotherapy, R A Pierce, M P Nichols, & J R DuBrin, 1983, Gardner Press, New York.
This book, by and for counsellors and therapists, concerns a cathartic therapy system paralleling co-counselling, though of largely independent origin. Their models and methods are described in language non-provocative to conventionally trained therapists. Their system uses one-to-one sessions, plus discharge groups, plus client-client co-counselling. There are transcripts of sessions; and a summary of outcome research validating use of discharge. After you have read it, lend it to your more orthodox counsellor friends.
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