This paper examines the relationship between media violence and aggressive behavior in real-world contexts. Drawing on theories of desensitization, social learning, and priming, the paper analyzes how exposure to violent content in television, video games, and films influences individuals to adopt violent behaviors. The paper discusses four types of problematic media violence—unpunished, painless, happy, and heroic violence—and presents real-life evidence including the Columbine shooting and the James Bulger case. It concludes by evaluating preventive measures such as the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) rating system and highlights the need for deeper research into media effects on aggression.
The thematic illustration of violence in media content has become a trend in the mass media and entertainment industry, creating the perception that it makes target audiences aggressive and inclined toward violent activities. Violent activities have increased over time as individuals spend more time with media content and gain greater access to such material. The violent themes in movies, cartoons, and comic characters have led individuals to perceive these activities as harmless and morally acceptable, even humorous (Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis, 2005). Exposure to such violent content enables individuals to learn these activities as part of their cognitive-learning behavior, leading them to act according to violent media in real life and to become aggressive in situations where violent entertainment is presented.
The imitation of violent acts may occur at a subconscious level, where individuals learn cognitively and become inspired by illustrated images related to specific situations represented by media sources. They then tend to utilize the exact behavior illustrated in media content and display aggressive behavior. The Payne Fund studies were conducted to analyze the social concerns related to increasing levels of crime and violence in society.
Exposure of the public to aggressive thematic media transmissions has increased real-world violence by drawing people into engagement with violent activities. An early study conducted by Dale (1935) indicated the prominence of violent activities in movie content, while a study by Blumer (1933) found that people tend to adopt violent activities they see in movies. Consequently, individuals' tendency toward violent behavior has become influenced by their exposure to violent and aggressive media content. People become inspired by characters or heroes performing violent acts and attempt to imitate them, resulting in involvement in real-life crimes.
Wertham (1954) argued that the content and graphics in comic books contain violent images and ideas that have increased juvenile delinquency in youth. According to Bryant and Oliver (2009), the comic-book industry was strongly influenced by these study results, and censorship rules were formulated to reduce children's exposure to violent content. Gerbner (1972) presented the concept of cultivation theory, proposing that people who spend extensive time watching television tend to live in a delusion where they believe what happens on television is real and attempt to adapt themselves to carry out the exact activities they observe. As television and media resources have become common in households, their accessibility to people of all ages has increased, causing negative effects on audience behavior. Studies analyzing primetime television programs revealed that 80 percent contained violent activities and were watched by people of all ages, including children.
Williams (1986) provided remarkable causal support for the relationship between violent behavior and media, demonstrating that in a Canadian town where people previously lacked television access, violent behavior increased once television accessibility expanded. This evidence strongly supported the connection between aggressive behavior and television access, providing historical grounding for modern concerns about media effects on violence.
The theory of desensitization refers to a decreased tendency for individuals to respond to real-life situations. In the context of media, it indicates individuals' inability to respond appropriately to actual violent situations, often a consequence of exposure to violence in transmitted media. Media sources vary from television to video games and comic series; the presence of violence in these sources causes individuals to develop hostile thoughts regarding the actions of people around them (Huesmann, 1982). When individuals are exposed to violent acts through media, they are initially strongly influenced by the emotions and situations presented. However, continuous exposure makes people less sensitive to violent situations, and they stop responding emotionally in their real lives.
Catharsis theory, presented by Feshbach and Singer (1971), suggests that continuous exposure to violent situations through television and video games makes individuals resistant to violence and enables them to handle such situations in real life. A study conducted in this context represents the idea that energy captured during exposure to aggressive video games is often used in real life, increasing individuals' tendency to act violently in certain situations (Gentile, 2013). However, this theory has not presented strong empirical evidence regarding how individuals adopt and utilize energy in violent actions.
According to Bandura (1978), reinforcement of aggressive and violent behavior through media exposure also occurs in individuals through social-learning theory. This theory represents the notion that individuals learn and adapt as a consequence of social processes in which they are strongly influenced by their surroundings. This theory is considered significant regarding increasing aggressive behavior because individuals who engage with violent media tend to become involved in violent activities over time. The same theory relates to vicarious reinforcement, where aggressive behavior is not followed by punishment, making people more inclined toward violent activities. Furthermore, transmission of violent acts carried out by heroes and media idols causes their followers to imitate this violent behavior as a form of reward, increasing violent activities in society. The theory has presented moderate empirical evidence regarding aggressive behavior.
Priming theory in the context of media violence suggests that stimulation from violent images creates thoughts of violent actions in a person, who then tends to repeat those acts. Violent activities are learned through cognitive memory, and when individuals encounter similar situations in real life, they apply the violent behavior learned from similar situations witnessed in media. A study by Bushman (1998) tested this notion by exposing people to aggressive media and examining their behavior afterward. Results provided evidence that violent media sources create aggressive behavior among individuals, offering strong support for this theory.
Media content also excites individuals through their involvement in the content, causing emotional responses to the stimuli received. For instance, people become involved in television programs and express emotions related to what they see: they feel anger when watching something offensive and happiness when watching something pleasant. Research conducted in this context provided empirical evidence that individual behavior is changed and manipulated in accordance with the media content to which they are exposed (Zillmann, 1971).
The characteristics of violence in media content can be categorized into four distinct types:
Unpunished violence. Media content often shows that the perpetrator of violent activities—whether hero or villain—faces no punishment or only minor consequences for their actions. This leads individuals to perceive violent activity as right and morally acceptable (Carter, 2003).
Painless violence. Violent acts illustrated in media show no signs of pain or injury, creating the perspective that such activities are safe and will cause no negative effects. The heroic illustration of these activities encourages individuals with the confidence to carry out these acts in real life (Carter, 2003).
Happy violence. Violence is portrayed with humor and amusement in animated movies and cartoons, where acts of being harmed or injured are shown as funny and pleasurable. This type of media content has led children to perceive violent activities as harmless and entertaining, eliminating awareness of the harms associated with these acts (Carter, 2003).
Heroic violence. Violent acts conducted by heroes suggest that violence occurring for good reasons is perceived positively. Though heroes carry out violent acts for virtuous purposes, the portrayal of violence suggests to audiences that violence conducted for good deeds is ethical and justified (Carter, 2003).
On February 12, 1993, a tragic event occurred in which a two-year-old boy was killed by two boys aged 10 years old. Both children were found to be the youngest murderers in history, and experts suggest that violent media content led them to engage in this violent act. The animated media content portraying violent behavior as humor was heavily criticized in this case. Experts believe that cartoons depicting harm as fun and amusing contributed to the perpetrators' behavior and their involvement in this criminal activity.
"BBFC rating system and parental control mechanisms"
"Competing explanations and gaps in causal evidence"
A lack of adequate research addresses the in-depth role of media in the progression of violence and aggression in society. Some scholars believe that only aggressive individuals become involved in violent activities and use media as intermediary support to obtain ideas and strategies, while others argue that only individuals with certain psychological disorders participate in such acts, having difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong. Since media targets the overall population while violent events do not occur proportionally to violent content accessibility, this observation undermines the perspective that violent media directly causes violent behavior. The occurrence of violence ultimately depends on individuals' choices about how they utilize information transmitted through media—either negatively or positively (Livingstone, 1996). The Payne Fund studies continue to observe individual behavior toward media content, with results addressed to provide less violent illustrations for children.
Based on prior studies, the increasing trend of individuals' exposure to media content and media sources' reliance on depicting violent activities have made people aggressive, desensitized, and violent in their real lives. People become completely involved in situations they watch as media content or play as video games, experiencing the events virtually and responding to stimuli received—such as anger or joy. The absorption of negative energy or anger through exposure to violent media makes individuals aggressive, leading them to carry out aggressive behavior in real life. Moreover, continuous exposure to violent activities makes people insensitive to real-life situations, causing them to engage in violence without remorse. The application of these violent acts in relation to social theories shows either weak or moderate results in explaining real-life violent situations, increasing bias regarding individuals' perceptions of how one responds to violent media. However, life events related to violent media content have increased emphasis on media's role in forming aggressive behavior. Despite heavy criticism and empirical evidence, the production of such media content persists, making it difficult to connect the extent of crimes with individual behavior due to research limitations. The heroic nature of violence has attracted youth to violent activities, while happy violence has engaged children in such activities due to their positive and acceptable perception of violence. The role of the BBFC has been remarkable in categorizing media content by consumer age to ensure appropriate accessibility and prevent exposure of vulnerable individuals. Guidelines have also empowered parents to decide appropriate content for their children. However, extensive need exists to analyze the in-depth impact of media content on individual behavior from a broader perspective, enabling prediction of future trends and individual tendencies toward aggression and violence.
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