2008/08/11 by Ron Tamborini, Rebecca M. Chory, Kenneth A. Lachlan +3
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · #Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression #Communication in Education and Healthcare #Media Influence and Health
paper · doi:10.1080/10510970802257689
openalex publication_date 2008/08/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The current study presents the results of a content analysis of the verbal aggression found in 36 hours of televised professional wrestling. The coding scheme was adapted from the National Television Violence Study and past research on television verbal aggression. Results show that an abundance of verbal aggression occurs in televised professional wrestling, with swearing, competence attacks, and character attacks being the most common types. In addition, the primary motives for verbal aggression use are amusement and anger. Furthermore, verbal aggression tends to be communicated and received by White, male individuals with no clear dispositional characteristics. The results are discussed in terms of potential effects of exposure to the verbal aggression found in professional wrestling.