Yeah, so in my perusal of various articles, I found this idea of Catharsis Theory in reference to violence in entertainment. It states that violent media allow the viewer to express pent up emotions through experiencing them through watching. In other words, you feel angry and you watch a violent movie to release your anger. Sounds good right? The problem is that while this may happen from time to time, more likely, someone is going to pick up negative emotions from violent media. Classic example: you watch a horror movie and you have terrible nightmares. The movie did not help you release any pent up feelings about going on a chainsaw rampage; it implanted the terrible idea in your mind. This would be a rather extreme example of the failure of Catharsis Theory. A person could very possibly be able to relate to a situation in a movie and be able to feel with the character involved, leaving a connection and understanding between the viewer and character. Here, Catharsis Theory would claim a victory, but such an example is the exception to the rule. Instead, when people walk out of a violent movie, the subject of conversation is usually focussed on the amazing feats of our fair hero and how he vanquished the nameless and faceless minions in a dramatic and merciless fasion.
So, Catharsis Theory, great in concept, but inadequate to describe the most common results.
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