Desensitisation

• Normally when we witness violent actions, we experience physiological arousal associated with the sympathetic nervous system, such as increased heart rate and higher blood pressure.
• However, when children in particular repeatedly view aggression on TV or violent computer games, they become habituated to the effects of aggression and the physiological arousal caused by it.
• A stimulus that was aversive, after repeated viewings, has less of an impact, which leads to less physiological arousal and and anxiety, which leads to the person feeling more comfortable with aggression.
• Desensitisation also has a psychological impact, as repeated exposure to media leads to a belief that using aggression to resolve a conflict is acceptable, leading to more aggression.