Heinich, Nathalie <br/><br/>
The Quest for Excitement 

 -  2015.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 97 
<br/><br/> By talking of sports in terms of a ‘quest for excitement’, Norbert Elias opened a novel perspective on the question of catharsis by putting the accent not so much on the neutralisation of emotions as on their contrary, their activation, considered as a fundamental human need. While incongruous with respect to classic, rather rationalist and puritan approaches to spectacle, this proposition allows that we reconsider a wide variety of ludic practices and give meaning to their importance in our society.