Definitions for Humor

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There are several definitions for humor (2011), one being “[t]he ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd”. The emission of smiles or laughter does not constitute something or someone is humorous, but is often a reaction to humor also known as mirth. Over the years, there have been several articles written on the use of humor in both the medical and psychological fields. In regard to the psychological field, this body of literature most often covers the definition of therapeutic humor, the benefits of humor in therapy, the risks and limitations associated with the use of humor in therapy, and therapeutic humor techniques with the need for training. The following statements will discuss the trends in the literature regarding these areas.

Definition of Therapeutic Humor

Several authors provide a definition for therapeutic humor as a way of both outlining their perception of how humor is used in therapy and to dispel any beliefs or opinions that it is just of matter of communicating nice jokes or anecdotes. Therapeutic humor is then the injection of humorous practices both by design or purposely and instinctively to heighten a client’s insight regarding their feelings, behaviors, or circumstances (Franzini, 2001; Martin & Lefcourt, 1983; Yonkovitz, 1997). From this definition it can be assumed that the purpose of humor in therapy is to provide some pleasure as well as lubricate information that may otherwise be difficult for a client to hear or even realize.

Benefits

In the literature, a healthy sense of humor has often been equated with mental stability and overall proficient social functioning (Malpass & Fitzgerald, 1959; Prerost, 1983). Beneficial uses for humor can be traced back...

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...from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/humor

Malpass, L.F., & Fitzpatrick, E.D. (1959). Social facilitation as a factor in reaction to humor. The Journal of Social Psychology, 50, 295-303.

Martin, R.A., & Lefcourt, H.M. (1983). Sensing of humor as a moderator of the relation between stressors and moods. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(6), 1313-1324.

Prerost, F. (1983). Promoting Student Adjustment to College: A counseling technique utilizing humor. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 62(4), 222-226.

Wenger, E. (1996). Communities of practice: The social fabric of a learning organization. Health Forum Journal, 39(4), 20-25.

Yonkovitz, E.E. (1997). Program evaluation of a therapeutic humor training workshop (Doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts Amherst). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 9737599)

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