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Desensitization (from Latin "de-" meaning "removal" and "sensus" meaning "feeling" or "perception&quot is a psychology term related to a treatment or process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure. This process typically occurs when an emotional response is repeatedly triggered, but the action tendency associated with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary.
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Psychologist Mary Cover Jones pioneered early desensitization techniques to help individuals "unlearn" (disassociate from) phobias[1] and anxieties.[2][3][4][5] Her work laid the foundation for later structured approaches to desensitization therapy, aimed at gradually reducing emotional reactions to previously distressing situations.
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Desensitization also refers to the potential for reduced responsiveness to actual violence caused by exposure to violence in the media. However, this topic is debated in the scientific literature.[29] Desensitization may arise from different media sources, including TV, video games, and movies. Some scholars suggest that violence may prime thoughts of hostility, possibly affecting how we perceive others and interpret their actions.[30][31][32] Desensitization has been shown to lower arousal to violent scenes in heavy versus light television viewers at the physiological level.[33] It has frequently been suggested that those who commit extreme violence have blunted sensibilities as a result of watching violent videos repeatedly.[33] Desensitization to violence has been linked to a number of outcomes.[5] It has been observed, for example, as less arousal and emotional disturbance when witnessing violence, as greater hesitancy to call an adult to intervene in a witnessed physical altercation, and as less sympathy for victims of domestic abuse.[5] Recent school shootings have sparked a lot of discussion about the desensitizing effects of violent video games and the possible involvement of "shooter" games, which teach gun handling skills and provide intense desensitization training.[5]
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desensitization_(psychology)