• Deciphering Violence: The Cognitive Structure of Right and Wrong
  • Author(s): Cerulo, Karen A.
  • Publisher: New York/London: Routledge
  • Year Published: 1998

In the current information age, Americans are bombarded by stories and images portraying a rising tide of violence. Analyzing scores of journalistic and media accounts, as well as masterpieces like Goya’s The Third of May, popular films such as Reservoir Dogs and The Godfather, and classic images of photojournalism—Deciphering Violence examines the ways in which individuals think about, depict, and evaluate violence. In this pivotal study, Cerulo identifies institutionalized forms of violent storytelling and raises new possibilities for both decreasing public tolerance of violence and increasing social control of the phenomenon.