ABSTRACT
The evidence indicates that the more people are exposed to violent television drama the more they are likely to be violent in their everyday lives. This may be especially true of children. This chapter reviews the evidence for this statistical association. A study of the psychological mechanisms leads to an understanding of the potential or possible influences of television, but it tells us little of the rate. The chapter examines three behavioral mechanisms: imitation, disinhibition, and arousaUde sensitization. The distinction is used here because the evidence for the First set of mechanisms (imitation, disinhibition, and arousal/desensitization) tends to be behavioral (physical aggression, lowered restraints and inhibitions, and physiological responses), whereas the evidence for the second set of mechanisms (mainstreaming and resonance) is focused on beliefs and attitudes. The distinction between reality and fantasy may not mediate behavioral outcomes for children as it does for adults. Arousal/desensitization is thus another behavioral mechanism related to the influence of television.
