The purge: violence in horror films increasing violence in the real world

Psychological theories explaining media violence, threats and the effects have been established and they try to create awareness on the demerits of exposing the society to violent content. The Purge for example as a movie could have numerous effects on the viewers mostly the younger generation. These effects could either be long-term or short-term.

These short-term effects include priming, arousal and finally, the affected individual starts to mimic the behavior observed. The purge for example containing numerous violent scenes sparks priming of the events observed by the observer. Priming entails the spread and activation of the brain in response to the stimulus observed which excites the brain. This excitement could be due to the mere sight of some weapon like a gun. Arousal develops after priming, this could be characterized by the aggressiveness of the observer as observed from a scene in the movies. These aggressiveness is noted in the manner that the individuals emotionally react to provocations. For example, after watching The Purge where the viewer is exposed to strong abusive words and extremely violent behavior and therefore the manner in which one responds to encounters and provocations is more aggressive as compared to a neutral individual not exposed to these content.

Mimicry comes in as the individual tries to imitate violent actions observed. Perception of particular social practices around kids improves the probability of kids aping such practices. In particular, as youngsters watch brutal conduct they are inclined to emulate it. Long term effects that accrue watching of violent content includingThe Purge included behavioral change. Repeated exposure to these content causes mutation of character and behavior if not monitored. Emotional activation or desensitization are also long term effects of exposure to content such as those contained in the Purge. Desensitization is when negative emotions are automatically experienced as a response towards an event or scene observed.

Pandeya, N., Sahdev, S., & Virmani, V. The Impact of Media Violence: An Overview of Theory and Research.

Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2001). Media violence and the American public: Scientific facts versus media misinformation. American Psychologist, 56(6-7), 477.