There is a risk that an adult who is exposed to TV and movie violence regularly will show an increase in violent behavior, mainly through imitation. Especially if he has regularly watched TV and movie violence since he was a child, he can learn aggressive attitudes and act more violently that he might otherwise do without persistent exposure.
An adult who watches violence on TV and in movies on a regular basis may become desensitized. He might start to accustom himself to the nature of the behavior he observes and therefore become desensitized to the harmfulness of such violence. The more he is exposed to it, the more chance there is of him showing a higher degree of callousness towards victims of violence.
Being exposed to movie and TV violence might lead an adult to become more fearful in his everyday life. A study by Gerber and Gross found that heavy viewers who watched four or more hours of television a day were less trustful and more fearful of society than those who were less exposed to it. They found that TV violence exaggerated the threat of danger in reality, and could mislead people into believing there is no good in the world.
An adult who sees movie and TV violence may be more at risk of committing a violent crime. He may start to subconsciously believe certain unacceptable behavior is acceptable, and is therefore is more likely than most to engage in illegal and aggressive behavior. Such behavior is even more likely to occur if he was exposed to a large amount of TV and movie violence during his childhood.