I Did It Because I Never Stopped Loving You: The Effects of Media Portrayals of Persistent Pursuit on Beliefs About Stalking

Abstract

This experiment examines the effects of media portrayals of persistent pursuit on beliefs about stalking. Exposure to a film that depicted persistent pursuit as scary led participants to endorse fewer stalking-supportive beliefs. Although exposure to a film that depicted persistent pursuit as romantic did not lead to greater endorsement of stalking-supportive beliefs for all participants, it did have this effect among those higher in perceived realism or transportation. Possible mediators of the relation between media exposure and beliefs about stalking are also explored. Results indicate that media portrayals of gendered aggression can have prosocial effects, and that the romanticized pursuit behaviors commonly featured in the media as a part of normative courtship can lead to an increase in stalking-supportive beliefs. This latter finding may have implications for the legal support female stalking victims are able to access.