Of Empathy and Media Content: Bringing Together Two Important Areas of Research

Abstract

Happ and Melzer introduce the two major components of their research. Following the detailed description of the multifaceted construct of empathy, the chapter contains an overview on findings from current research on media effects with a particular emphasis on video games. Numerous studies document the negative effects of violent media on many variables explained by different theoretical models. In addition to violent media content, however, other risk and resilience factors (e.g., moral issues) are also likely to moderate the effects of violent video games. The authors present empathy as a potential moderator for behavior in social situations. The chapter ends with a critical evaluation of current findings, stressing the importance of analyzing empathy and its role for the effects of media content.