ABSTRACT
Our review of the scientific literature (see Donnerstein, Linz, & Penrod, 1987) has led us to conclude that depictions of sexual violence in the media, under some conditions, promote certain antisocial attitudes and behavior. Specifically, we are most concerned about the detrimental effects of exposure to violent images in pornography and elsewhere that portray the myth that women enjoy or in some way benefit from rape, torture, or other forms of sexual violence. It is important to note, however, that the portrayal of this theme is not found only in pornography. Many mass media depictions that either contain little explicit sex or are only mildly sexually explicit often portray the same myth.
