Shawna has just gone through a break-up with her arrogant and selfish boyfriend. while hitting the punching bag in her kickboxing class, she imagines that she is punching her boyfriend’s head. shawna believes that engaging in the relatively harmless pursuit of hitting the punching bag will drain the energy from her more violent tendencies (like her temptation to slit the tires of his car or to break his legs). research on the idea of catharsis suggests that hitting the punching bag will make shawna feel more aggressive toward her ex-boyfriend. hitting the punching bag will reduce shawna’s “hot-blooded” aggressive intent. the good feelings shawna derives from hitting the punching bag will be replaced by feelings of guilt and shame, which will make her less likely to engage in aggression in the future. hitting the punching bag will be a more successful technique for shawna’s attempt to reduce future aggression than would distracting herself by going out and having fun with other friends.