How fictional violence shapes the actions of copycat offenders

Description

When individuals commit crimes inspired by television shows, movies, or video games, they often mimic the specific methods used by fictional characters or display extreme violence. A recent small study explored how real-world offenders adopt behaviors seen on screen and why they might sometimes diverge from their fictional blueprints. The research was published in the journal Deviant Behavior.

Subject

Over the years, media psychology researchers have tried to understand how fictional content impacts real behavior. The concept of the copycat effect suggests that popular media might influence how a person carries out a crime. Lead author Lucas Rogers, a researcher at the University of Huddersfield, along with colleagues Maria Ioannou, Calli Tzani, and Thomas James Vaughan Williams, set out to characterize how individuals who mimic fictional characters view their criminal inspirations. The team wanted to find common traits among people who commit media-inspired crimes.