Excitation Transfer Theory: An Analysis of the Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse Scandal

This study examines the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal based on excitation transfer theory, a theory based on the premise that the excitation from one stimulus can be transferred to influence behavior related to another stimulus. To logically and methodically sequence this study, excerpts from media publications are textually analyzed in order to identify the specific media portrayals of the American military abusers in the Abu Ghraib prison and the culpability of the U.S. military in general. The ultimate goal of this article is to demonstrate how these media depictions have the capacity to psychologically stimulate some media consumers into a mode of indiscriminate emotional response toward some members of the American military system.