Positively Case

It occurs to me that it isn't the level of violence someone is exposed to that is the problem. The issue is how they are allowed to comprehend the violent imagery that they see. My reasoning for this is that I have a handful of friends who were exposed to violence as kids, not just in television form, but some also in domestic abuse form. A few of these people perceived the abuser as being a bad person, doing something wrong. A couple learned to understand that, through violence, a person could get what they want. The people who believed the abuser was wrong in their actions are non-violent people. The few that viewed it as a means to an end can be rather violent people.

Applying this sort of mentality to the television, when the violence is present and looked at in a favorable manner, yes I can see how anyone might begin to see it as a way to get what they want. When violence is viewed in a negative light, then it is perceived as wrong. Therefore that action is not likely to be repeated by the viewer. Of course, this gets complicated depending on who the particular viewer feels they identify best with. If your "hero" style main character only uses violence for good (eg: knocks a villain out cold because they are attempting to harm someone) and the viewer happens to identify with our "hero", then violence becomes something used to save the life of another and that alone. Unfortunately, if you viewer sees themselves more as the outcast villainous type, then they may begin to perceive the opposite. Instead, they may view violence positively.