Narrative, Effects of Violent

History of Violent Narratives in Media

Violent narratives are regularly encountered in media. Television, a staple of American life since the 1950s, is one medium that demonstrates the frequency of violent narratives. As early as the 1960s, the first systematic study of television content and its effects, the Cultural Indicators Project (CIP), found that two out of three television programs featured some form of violence. That trend in violent narratives in television continues in the early 21st century.

George Gerbner created the CIP, a large empirical undertaking, to investigate his belief about television as “America’s storyteller.” The multifaceted study largely consisted of two parts: a content analysis that tabulated the frequency of various portrayals in television, and an investigation of the effects of viewing such content. Portrayals of violence were one category of the phenomena measured, and Gerbner sought to determine how they shaped audience’s perceptions about police activity and fear of victimization.

The CIP revealed that violent depictions permeated two-thirds of television programming regardless of genre (excluding news and sporting events, which were omitted from coding). Regarding effects of viewing violent content, heavy viewers (those who watched an average of 4 or more hours of television per day) were more likely to endorse a fear of victimization than light viewers (those who watched an average of fewer than 2 hours per day). Thus, most television programs include some form of violent or aggressive theme, and effects occur for audiences who watch a lot of television. More recent studies of television content have revealed that violent themes and narratives continue apace.

Frequency and Nature of Violent Narratives in Media

The prevalence of violence extends to other media as well. Violent narratives are widespread in motion [Page 266]pictures. Almost all contemporary popular films include violent storylines or subthemes. Of the top-grossing films each year for the past 55 years, 89% have included portrayals of violence. Sex differences in violent portrayals are notable; males are consistently portrayed more than are females in violent and aggressive acts. Female characters have been depicted in violent and aggressive acts at an increasing rate over time. Moreover, although females are less likely than males to be in lead roles in films, they are more likely over time to engage in graphic and explicit representations of violent acts. This suggests that audiences are developing increased tolerance for violent storylines.

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