Televised violence increases aggression despite industry catharsis claims

Evidence

Contrary to predictions from catharsis theory, for reasons given earlier, exposure to televised violence increases rather than reduces the likelihood of aggressive behavior (Anderson et al., 2003; Anderson & Bushman, 2001; Bandura, 1973). However, in the view of the broadcast industry, “Violence is a catharsis for kids” (Baldwin & Lewis, 1972). Moreover, the broadcast industry claims it is therapeutic as well for adults burdened with the frustrations and conflicts of everyday life: “Human culture is a thin shield superimposed over a violent core. It’s better to crack it fictionally than to see it explode in the streets” (Baldwin & Lewis, 1972). The producer confidently proclaims a cathartic therapeutic effect that has no foundation in fact. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 833

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: ‘the hydraulic theory of violence’ — how a debunked 19th-century physics metaphor still drives TV-network corporate PR and industry self-absolution.