Violence and sexual violence in pornography : is it really increasing ?

• Published in: Archives of sexual behavior Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 357 - 371
• Main Authors: SCOTT, J. E, CUVELIER, S. J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Kluwer Academic/Plenum 01-08-1993; Kluwer Acacemic/Plenum Publishers; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cartoons; Content analysis; Erotica; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Periodicals as Topic; Personality. Affectivity; Pornography; Pornography & obscenity; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rape; Rape - psychology; Rape - statistics & numerical data; Sexual Assault; Sexuality. Sexual behavior; Social research; United States; Violence; United States; Human; Rape; Pornography; Sexual violence; Violence; Content analysis
• ISSN: 0004-0002; 1573-2800
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01542124

Literature and research on the question of the increasingly violent nature of pornography is reviewed. In addition, the paper reports the findings of a content analysis of all cartoons and pictures in Hustler Magazine from 1974 through 1987. Results indicate that sexually violent cartoons and/or pictorials constitute a relatively small proportion of the total cartoons and pictorials. Moreover, no monotonic increase was found in such depictions over the 14-year period examined. In fact, a relatively small and constant proportion of violent and/or sexually violent depictions over this period is reported. These findings are examined in relation to previous research and societal concern about alleged increases in violent pornography as an explanation for increases in rape rates.