Violence Viewing Effect

The violence viewing effect can occur when an individual viewing television or film witnesses a scenario in which a violent act is not punished (the person committing the violence faces no consequences), the pain of the victim is not shown, the violent act is portrayed as being justified or the individual committing the violence is physically attractive. The results of the violence viewing effect vary with individuals copying the behavior of the violent character or developing desensitization to media violence (becoming used to and less affected by the violence). There is limited research on this topic and studies have shown that media violence and real life violence are only correlated which does not necessarily imply causation.